The Corrupted
by Riasha
Summary: Kagome is being blackmailed for something very special and very powerful. After tragedy strikes, An honorbound Sesshoumaru helps her catch the killer. AU
1. Summary

Hi! This is my newest story, The Corrupted! I want to warn you now; this is not a happy story. It will have its good parts, even some fluffyness and lemons, but will not be a happy ending type of story! It contains rape, death, blackmail and bribery among other things. So Be Warned! This is also my first try at a semi-dark fic. So don't be surprised if it totally sucks!

SUMMARY- Okay; now this I'm not good at because I either give it all away or leave you confused and bored. So, here it goes!

Kagome is the holder of something special and powerful, something Naraku wants, He will do anything to get it. Tragedy and hardship follow Kagome everywhere, but she is determined. She gets the help of a cold and detached detective, Sesshoumaru. They chase the crafty and insane Naraku to the point of no return, a trap. In a blinding moment of truth the time them has become now and they fight for their lives and for justice.

But Kagome's cursed life will not be done with; a curse can never be lifted when it is what the person lives for. Tragedy is always going to be her best friend. Her only friend.

There! That's what its about! That and Kagome overcoming her fear of men, caused by being raped mercilessly.

Please turn back now if you don't like these sort of stories. If you still want to read, leave a review! If I get enough reviews, I'll write it!

Review and the story will unfold!!!

Hope to see you soon!

RyuuAngel

11-2-04 NOTE: This sotry was actually made quite a while ago and I am finally posting it here. Please ignore most of my notes. This is one of my favorite fanfics, and I hope you enjoy it. It will be posted rather quickly, probably completed within the next few days. If I have time, of course.


	2. And So It Begins

The Corrupted

WARNING! This fic is not for the Inuyasha happy fic lovers! This is a horrid fic that my sick mind made up. I want you to know now that it is twisted, and the charas may seem very OC. I don't think many will die, but there will be bad things happening. This is a very dark fic with explicit details on things that you may rather not read. It will have its fluffy parts; I won't make it completely horrid. Please turn back NOW if you do not like to read dark things, very bad things. This is rated for beating, violence, sexuality, and drugs.

Disclaimer: Take a guess,

Right, any chara from the story Inuyasha are Rumiko Takahashi's, not mine. I just have them locked in the closet for a while.

RyuuAngel

Chapter 1: And So It Begins

It was the first time that it hurt the most. After that it just kind of became a dull pain. Then it seized to be painful at all after a few times. She just blocked it out, turning her head to the side as he made grunting noises from exertion. No tears escaped her unfocused eyes; they had long ago stopped spilling liquid when he had the urge. She just thought about other things, like how she needed to do the laundry after her shower. Then she probably ought to clean the house. Yeah, that needed to be done too. Then she would have to make dinner, but she didn't know what to make. He'd go out the window, just like Inuyasha would have if he were leaving. But Inuyasha wasn't here tonight, at least, not until later. She looked forward to that, but right now she realized that she wasn't holding up the weight of another person. She shot a quick glance at the handsome, black-haired man and saw him zipping up his jeans. She stared at the paneling of her bedroom walls and waited for him to leave. It had been too long though and she darted a look at him to see him standing near her, watching her with careful eyes. She felt bile rise in her throat and hoped that he didn't want to go again. Her whole being shuddered at the idea, and she turned her face back to stare at the paneling again. His soft, melodic, haunting voice tumbled into her ears.

"I know what you are doing. That one was for your mistake." She whipped her head back at him. Did he know? She shivered when he ran his eyes down her nude body, taking in every inch. Her scared eyes almost made him want to do it again, but he was already late for an appointment. "Remember, Kagome, as soon as you get what I want, your trouble will stop. But as long as you keep screwing up, I will benefit. Don't let me hear anymore of these rumors of that 'Inuyasha' or I may have to reprimand you." Her wide eyes told him he was right, she did have feelings for the other boy. She was shaking with anger and fear, and he chuckled. She wouldn't be able to keep the boy away from her, so he would end up 'reprimanding' her anyway, but she was becoming too nonchalant about his time with her. It seemed she wasn't there, and didn't care anymore. Now the first time, that had been fun. She had screamed and kicked, he hadn't realized she was still a virgin. The pain in her eyes when he had ripped her open had been enough to make him want to do it over and over. Too bad it couldn't be like that every time.

Kagome shivered as the dark figure disappeared out the window and into the inky night. He knew, now she would have to tell Inuyasha to leave her alone. He would never understand and probably be mad at her, but it would have to be done. Tears prickled at her eyelids, she didn't wasn't to lose him. He may be an asshole sometimes, but he would never intentionally hurt her. He was so sweet sometimes, as long as they were alone. It annoyed her slightly how he acted different around other people, but she sort of understood. Hopefully he'd get over it. Wait, it wouldn't matter because tonight she would have to tell him to never come and see her again. Of course, she would probably see him in school, and he would probably try and talk to her. She hoped she had the strength to tell him to go away. She would have to, otherwise...

She got up and turned on the light to see what he had done to her this time. She stood in front of the mirror and saw a large bruise on her thigh, which was from last time. That time she had got him good on the jaw, and he had retaliated. There was a growing bruise that was new on her rib, and another on her back. He had been rougher than usual this time, which must have been because he had found out about Inuyasha. She looked in shock at her face and saw a good one close to her temple. Shit, people would ask about that one. What would she use for an excuse this time? She had already used falling down the stairs, and crashing on her bike, and falling on pavement. Okay, so she wasn't very creative about this stuff. 'You'd think I could come up with something better than that by now' She thought. She sighed. Tripping on clothes on the floor and hitting her head on the desk would have to work this time. She grabbed clothes for a shower and took a quick one. The asshole had made her late for making dinner tonight; so now her mother would be mad at her too. All the hot water was gone, so the shower had been cold, but that okay. She was used to it, since it happened a lot in the apartment. She got out with a huge headache and went down stairs with all of her laundry, including the sheets, to do it. She put it in the old washer, twitching this and fiddling with that until it started up.

She thumped up the stairs to start dinner, sighing in relief when she realized her mother wasn't even home yet. Dinner was ready in a matter of minutes, and after an hour she put the other portion in the fridge for when her mother got home later. She must be working over-time and had found out at work. Her waitress job didn't pay well, and she would take any overtime she could get. She didn't have any way to inform Kagome of this, their phone was disconnected, they couldn't pay the bill. After putting the remainder of the food away, she tucked Souta into bed and told him a story about dragons and knights and happy people. He fell asleep within ten minutes and she stopped to kiss his forehead tenderly. She wiped the hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear before getting up and turning out the light. She shut the door gently, hearing the soft click and putting her ear to the door to see if he had woken up. After a few minutes of nothing she tiptoed away and went back to her room. She opened the door and almost jumped out of her skin to see someone in there. The silver-haired man had an angry look on his face as he marched over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Where the hell were you? I told you I'd be here at 8 o'clock. It's 9!" He yelled at her. He stared pissed into her sapphire eyes and was surprised to see actual fear in them. She was breathing funny and looked really scared. He immediately let go of her and touched her cheek. "What's wrong with you, huh?" His voice still was gruff, but not like it had been before. She shook herself for her silliness; this was Inuyasha, not HIM. His face, the anger in his eyes had reminded her so much of when he would throw her around, she hadn't been able to quell the bubble of fear the had surfaced. Damn, this was the worst part of it all, the fear.

"Kagome?" He asked, his voice soft. She looked up at him and smiled, but his concern only deepened. The bruise that she had noticed before had turned an ugly blue/ purple color. He touched it lightly and her smile disappeared. "Where did you get this?" He asked. She put her fingers over it to cover it and looked down, mumbling something about falling and hitting a desk. This was the third one he had asked about. He was beginning to have suspicions. She always had excuses that were definitely lies. He could tell by the way she mumbled and looked away when he asked about them. The fear in her eyes just now had shocked him, she'd always been so courageous, not the type to scare easily. She used to be happy and full of life, but lately she'd been kind of depressed. He narrowed his eyes at her and led her to the bed. He saw obvious resistance and a slice of fear go though her. Again he felt something streak through his soul and realized it was anger. He forced her to sit on the bed and sat next to her, taking her hand gently. She sat stiff for a moment but soon relaxed and looked at him.

"Who is doing this to you?" He asked in the gentlest voice he could. Shock registered on her almost flawless features, the bruise marring her pretty face. She looked to her hands, pulling it out of his grasp to twist them nervously.

"No, No one." She stuttered. He got up and squatted down in front of her, peering into her face. She tried to look away from his unusual golden eyes but found herself unable to.

"Tell me the truth." He stared intensely into her cerulean eyes and she shook her head, tearing spilling forth from closed eyes. He stood up and pulled her up next to him. She fell against his chest, sobbing softly. When it calmed down she had her head against his chest, he was holding her close.

"I can't tell you." She whispered. He abruptly grabbed her shoulders and held her away from him.

"Kagome. You need to tell someone about this so we can stop it." She shook her head, fear and sadness in her opalescent depths. He shook her and she turned her head to the side, more tears sliding down her pale cheeks. "Kagome." She tore away from him and turned her back to him, obvious pain in her voice when she spoke.

"You have to leave. Please." She hunched her shoulders and hugged herself. He was shocked. She wanted him to leave? She couldn't be serious. Whatever it was was that bad that she was going to make him leave rather than tell him? He took a step towards her and saw her flinch. He stilled and instead projected his voice at her shoulder.

"I won't ask you anymore. I promise. You don't really want me to leave, do you?" She whirled around, trying to look angry. He saw right off that it was fake and how painful her expression was.

"I told you to leave! Go! I... Don't want to see..." She swallowed and stopped. She wasn't fooling anyone. She was going to have to make him leave. She had to, otherwise her mother would lose her job and he would really get her. But she couldn't do it. Her mother was going to lose her job, and it was her fault. They would probably get kicked out of the apartment if they were any later on the rent, and then they would be on the streets, and it would be all her fault. She crumpled to the floor, crying, not bothering to see where she landed. Her leg whacked off of the bedpost on the way, but she didn't feel it. What was pain anyway?

Inuyasha watched as her knee cracked hard against the bedpost, she fell to the floor and seemed to not feel it. He was immediately down next to her. He cupped her face with his hand and she looked up at him. "It's going to be all my fault! He's going to know that I didn't stop things between us and he's going to get my mom fired and then he's going to be so mad at me... We're going to get kicked out of the apartment, and it's going to be my fault!" He noticed she had not yet realized her knee was bleeding right through the pajama bottoms she was wearing. He processed what she was saying and let his jaw hang open in shock. That fucker! Whoever it was, the asshole was blackmailing her! If she told, her family would end up on the street, and who knows what else he held over her head. He'd kill the bastard when he found out who he was. He brushed the tears away from Kagome's face and waited until she was quiet. Then he pulled her up and had her sit on the bed. He started rolling her loose pant leg up and saw her eyes widen in absolute terror. He stilled and gritted his teeth.

"You hurt your knee. I'm just taking a look at it." He reassured her. He saw most of the fear leave her eyes, but still there was an uneasiness that he did what he could to ignore. He pulled the fabric carefully up and over her knee and saw it was split wide open. Then he noticed the edge of a bruise that was just above the cut. He pushed her pajama bottoms farther up her leg and saw her eyes widen and she desperately tried to push them back down. He held her hands away and examined the bruise, an older one. It varied from a sick yellow color to deep blue. This was bad, it wasn't just a bruise, and there might be a bone chip there. It was too discolored. She stopped her attempts and instead looked away ashamed. He pulled the fabric down far enough so it was covering the bruise and straightened up.

"I'm going to go and get some stuff to patch up you knee. The cut is real deep and if something isn't done, you could lose a lot of blood. Don't move." He commanded and left the room. He went out and down the hall to the bathroom. In the cabinet he found towels, some of which he wet, and other things he would need. He returned to her room to find she had done exactly as he had said. She hadn't moved an inch. She was staring at her knee, not seeing it. He walked over to the bed and set down all of the things he would be using. He kneeled down in front of her and started to clean it. She never moved or seemed to feel it. He doctored it carefully; making sure it was clean before putting alcohol on it and wrapping it tightly with gauze under that to keep it from bleeding through. When he was done he gathered up the stuff he taken out. She seemed to come out of her daze finally and looked up at him with grateful eyes.

"Thanks. Uh, I can put that stuff away. You don't need to." She got up and found it hard to walk with the wrapping around her knee. She felt the pain finally and hissed when she bent her knee and it pulled at the wound. He put out an arm to stop her and brought her back over to the bed.

"I'll take care of it. I can figure out where I took all this stuff from." He picked it up and went out of the room. She sat silently, very grateful. He returned a minute later and sat next to her. A long, heavy silence passed between them. Finally Inuyasha spoke.

"I understand why you want me to leave you alone. I'll try, for the most part, if you really need me to." He hooked a finger under her chin and turned it towards him, bringing his face a scant inch from hers. "I want you to promise me something." He said. She looked unsure and wondered what he would want. Thoughts of what the last person who had made her promise something and what he wanted passed through her mind and she tried not to pull away from his touch.

"Promise me you'll tell me when I can come and see you. In secret that is. I will not talk to you in public. But I don't think I can stay away from you forever, so we'll have to figure out sometime we can meet in secret." His eyes looked shyly back into hers and she almost kicked herself. This was Inuyasha, not HIM. Sure, all guys wanted the same thing, but hopefully some were willing to take the answer no. She couldn't believe she had thought that he would do that to her. He would never, she hoped. Could she trust him? Would he always be there for her? She was suddenly acutely aware of how close his lips were to hers, and how his breathe smelled of mint. She focused on his golden eyes and saw them get slightly larger; she was lost in the unique color of them. Their lips touched lightly, nothing like the bruising kisses Naraku forced onto her lips. Inuyasha's lips were careful, and so light. They gently caressed her and she timidly kissed him back. Taking that as a go-ahead, he touched his tongue to her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She opened her mouth after a moment and let his tongue glide in. It explored every part of her mouth, tickling the roof and the sides before running along her own tongue and out. She followed his tongue with her own and mimicked his movements, touching and caressing. His hand lightly rubbed her right leg, the one without the bruise and cut. She almost bit his lip in surprise when his hand traveled up high, causing tingled and shivers to travel though her body.

He made her forget this by leaving her lips and placing open-mouthed kisses all along her jaw line. He nibbled at her neck, feeling her tip her head to give him better vantage, encouraging him. His hand worked its way up, finding the edge of her shirt and sliding beneath it. She moaned when he found the pulse on her neck and nibbled it gently. His hand went higher and skimmed the skin under her breast. She gasped and he grinned. His hand slowly went behind her back to undo her bra. Like lightning a memory hit her of someone else undoing the very same piece of clothing. It had been yanked off and his hands had grabbed and pinched, hurting her. His rough mouth on her lips, biting into them. She yanked back and felt his hand fall away from her back and saw a surprised look on his face. Not like the one that would have been on Naraku's; not angry. Just surprised.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She shook her head in dismay, and anger. Even now the stupid bastard was leaving his mark on her. Nothing she did was free of his presence. She couldn't escape him!

"I... I can't. When you touch me, it reminds me of when he did." His face once again registered shock, then anger.

"The bastard raped you?" He snarled. She shrank down a little and nodded. He saw her expression and softened his voice, saying it tenderly. "Your first time? He forced you? He wasn't considerate?" His expression held such sadness. She nodded and watched as he clenched his jaw, trying not to yell. "That, what a horrible thing to do. The first time... It should be beautiful. It shouldn't happen like that." He turned her face so that she was looking at him again. His hand cupped her cheek and his rough thumb caressed it lightly. "I promise never to hurt you like that. And if you'll allow me, I'll show you how it's supposed to be done. I'll stop at any time if you need me to, or just want me to. I promise." He smiled at her and she felt her heart clench. He was, was he trying to help her? He promised he would stop if she asked; there was only one way to get over her fear. But should she? It didn't really matter now, as long as they used a condom. And the last question was, would she be able to? Or would her first time be a constant reminder, and not allow her to enjoy it? No, she would get over her fear; she would not let him get to her this way. This was one way of fighting back, and she was determined. Slowly she nodded to Inuyasha and watched as his smile widened. Before she could do anything his lips were on hers in a light kiss. A stab of fear went through her and she fought to ignore it, focusing on his lips. Slowly the fear dissipated as he deepened the kiss, sending tingles down her spine. He pulled back, making her feel abandoned. He grinned at the lost look on her face and pulled her into his lap, putting his hands around to her back and kissing her passionately, yet still gently. She returned it when his hands did not move from the place they were, around her body. He very carefully and deliberately lifted her shirt from her back and slid his hand under it, placing it flat on her back.

She tensed at the change and he felt it and stopped kissing her to look into her eyes. He saw her fighting the fear of something that wasn't him. An idea formed in his head and he pulled his hands from under her shirt to turn her so she was straddling his lap. She looked relieved and unsure as he scooted farther onto the bed, holding onto her hips. He lay back against the pillow and put his hands above his head, leaving them there. She gave him a questionable look that he returned with a smile.

"Here. I'll keep my hands here, and you do what you want to me. I promise I won't move or touch you unless you tell me to." She looked surprised, then happy. It was a good idea, it might even work. He was so sweet for putting up with this. She couldn't imagine what most guys would do.

"Thank you." She whispered and bent down to kiss him. He allowed it but did not return the kiss. She licked his bottom lip and he opened his mouth for her, forcing himself to stay still. She used her tongue to draw his into her mouth and he kissed her back. She broke off to kiss his neck and collar bone, feeling him shiver when she found the pulse on his neck. She pulled off his shirt; he helped but put his hands back in their former position. She kissed his bare chest and marveled at the quiet strength he held. His chest was muscular, he could easily overpower her, and yet his hands stayed above his head. Well, she might as well be nice if he was going to hold himself back. She unzipped his jeans and shimmied them off, laughing at his Spongebob Squarepants boxers. He gave her a black look for laughing at him.

"They're just so cute! I like them." His look disappeared and he grinned at her. She lay on top of him, letting her body weight press them together. GOD, he was huge! She could feel the heat of him against her thigh. She kissed his lips and liked the way his hot skin felt, so yanked off her shirt to let her skin touch his. She trailed kissed down across his chest and over his belly. He moaned when her hand brushed his erection, it jumped against her hand. She pulled off his boxers and almost gasped. It was so big! She ran a finger down the side of it and heard him gasp. She followed that with her tongue and he moaned again. Her mouth engulfed the head and she slid her mouth down it, pulling back a little and sliding a little farther down. He was panting and she slid slower, sucking hard, he moaned her name and she slid it down her throat, but could not move it and instead used her tongue to do all sorts of things to it. She felt he was on the edge and suddenly he came into her throat. She swallowed until he was spent and slid him out of her mouth, smiling. His eyes were closed and he was breathing hard, still going through the after-shocks of an orgasm. She licked her lips, deciding she liked the salty taste, and grinned when he opened his eyes. He grinned back at her.

"Where in hell did you learn to do that?" He asked. She shrugged and lay her body next to his. He brushed a piece of her ebony hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"I think it's your turn now." She said. His hand stilled from where it had been lightly tracing the features of her face.

"Are you sure?" He looked seriously into her eyes. She smiled and nodded. He brought his lips an inch from hers.

"Only if you're sure." He said. She nodded again and brought their lips together. He rested his hand on her hip, remembering how afraid she had become when he had tried to touch her bra. So he went for a different tactic. He pushed her flat on her back, never breaking the kiss and rested his hand on her thigh. She parted them for him to continue and he traveled up, sure to hit all the points he knew were especially sensitive. He skimmed his hand up the best one and lightly over it before running his hand back down her leg. He took his leg and placed it between hers to bring them further apart. His hand crept back up her leg and she tensed, but relaxed quickly. He pressed his finger lightly against the spot right in-between her legs and heard her moan. He rubbed lightly and she squirmed and tried to encourage him. He pushed harder and could feel her shiver with need.

Oh, god, if he didn't stop she would... well, she didn't know what she would do, but something. At the same time she really didn't want him to stop and her body showed it by wriggling closer and pushing into his fingers when he touched her. She cried out when he slipped his fingers inside her pajama pans and he found the nub in her folds and rubbed it. Lightning zoomed through her and made her eyes roll back in her head. Her hips lifted in time to his hands as he rubbed her jewel. She but her lip to keep from making any more noise but had to stop when he kissed her lips. His fingers went lower and slid into her, making her convulse with pleasure. He pushed against her walls and rubbed her clit with his thumb. She rocked in time with it and then was there. Stars exploded in her eyes as she was hit by her orgasm with such great force. She yelled his name as wave after wave of pleasure rode through her. It finally slowed and she realized he had taken his hand out from her pants and was staring at her intently.

"How was that?" He asked. She shook her head, grinning.

"What do you think? Hmmm, right now, I think the only word that I can think of is wow." He grinned back at her.

"So you liked it? It was okay?" She smiled.

"OKAY? It was glorious, wonderful, awesome. I don't think there is a word to describe what that was like." He blushed and she grabbed his hand. "Very talented, very nice hands." He blushed deeper and replied.

"Your pretty talented yourself." It was her turn to blush now, which she did, turning a pretty pink. He rested a hand against her bare stomach. She squirmed since she was ticklish and he spread his fingers out, making her move more. After he stopped moving she stopped and waited to see what he would do next. He seemed to change his mind and removed his hand, but instead traced very delicate lines just above her bra. She stared up at him with luminous eyes as the feeling from before returned slowly. The fear was fighting to try and dominate her but she quelled it and eventually it disappeared completely. Leaving her feeling only what his hands were doing. She reached behind her to undo her bra and pulled it off. His hands found her breast again and grazed over the tip of them sensually. It hardened quickly as he rubbed his thumb over the areola. Time seemed to stop, there was only the here and now. She felt his hard cock brush against her clit and then he used his hand to position himself to enter her slowly.

At first he was surprised when he met no resistance within her, but then remembered she had been forcefully opened. He kept his pace slow and deliberate, trying to drive her over the brink. She was pushing against him, pulling him farther in than he had planned, squeezing deliciously. The friction was making his senses go haywire and his pace increased. She matched him, thrust for thrust, waves of pulsing need going through them. They exploded together in a drive of desperation and yelled together in the throes of pleasure. He collapsed on top of her and rolled to the side to keep from crushing her. They were hugging each other close, savoring the moment. Her legs had found their way to around him and were clutching at him, wanting to stay that way forever. This was pure bliss, there was nothing better. Eventually he pulled away from her to disengage himself. She felt a certain loss when he pulled himself out of her, an incompleteness. She sat up when he got up and started pulling his clothes on silently. She felt the need to talk.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She said shyly, he stopped what he was doing to glance at her. She was smiling, making his heart clench. He took two large, fast steps to her and pressed his lips against hers in a final way, before he went back to dressing. She just watched him, delighting in how the muscles in his body rippled and pulled. He was so perfect; she had never realized it until now. He was, god, he was sooo hott!

"Ano, Inuyasha?" He looked up at her and she was smiling at him appreciatively. "You have a nice body." He blushed and finished zipping his pants. She grinned at the blush that crept up on his cheeks. She got up and saw him stop right in the middle of putting a shoe on. His eyes were glued to her and she blushed now. He kicked the shoe back off and walked to her, staring at her.

"Kagome, you are absolutely perfect." He took a hand and ran fingertips up her arm and then down her side. "So beautiful." He murmured. She shivered from his light touch and closed her eyes. He smiled and cupped her cheek; making her open her eyes just to close them when he kissed her. He lingered in the kiss, trying to draw it out, being gentle and sweet. She indulged in it, reveled in the feeling he gave her. He slowly pulled away and enjoyed the dazed look in her eyes. He turned back to putting his shoes on and she watched, trying not to show how much she wanted him to stay. Just as he was about to leave she stopped him by rushing forward and putting a hand on his arm. She just gazed into his beautiful eyes before speaking.

"Meet me in the old house behind Pleasant Street on the 15th. My Uncle owns it and doesn't do anything with it. It's still almost like new. He's too sick and doesn't have time for it." He nodded and touched her cheek before sliding out the window and shimmying down the tree next to her window. He stood at the bottom for a moment to look up at her before turning and walking across the lawn towards his car parked on the other side of the street. He got in the black Ferrari and started the engine before roaring off into the night. She watched, sighing, and shut her window. She turned away from the window and jumped when she saw her mother glaring at her form the doorway of her room.


	3. Never Again

Chapter 2: Never Again

DISCLAIMER: Not a chance. Not on you life. Never. Not happening. Nuht-uh.

How else do I say it?

Inuyasha drove down the road quickly, feeling happy, yet disconcerted. Those bruises bothered him. Kagome... She had to deal with that person, whoever it was. He was hurting her. His Kagome. He picked up his cell-phone and dialed the number he thought he would never dial. He was desperate, that was all. He almost punched the end button, but Kagome's beautiful, bruise marred face popped into his mind. He clenched his teeth and let it ring, hoping the voice did not answer; yet praying it did. Mixed emotions went though him when the cool, silky voice filtered through to his ears.

"What do you want, Inuyasha?" Came the voice of his brother, Sesshoumaru. He sounded annoyed, yet cold and emotionless at the same time. Inuyasha cringed at the sound of that voice and lifted his chin higher.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked incredulously. He heard a short chuckle resound like thunder in his ears; mocking him. His blood heated in anger.

"Well, you see little brother. Most people these days have a thing called Caller ID. You may know of it?" HE asked sarcastically. Inuyasha just closed his eyes; Kagome's bright smile, her beautiful, sad eyes, her bruised and battered perfect body seemed to stand right in front of his eyes. He opened them quickly, remembering he was on the road.

"Sesshoumaru, I need a favor." HE said quickly. Silence greeted his plea. So he continued. "I have a friend who is being abused by someone, she won't tell me who because the dirty bastard's blackmailing her. He'll get her family thrown out on the street if she tells about him. I need to help her." Still, the profound silence rang on the other side of the phone. Inuyasha grew angry and impatient. "What the hell, Sesshoumaru! That monster could kill this girl! She has bruises all over her body; he rapes her every time he sees her. God Dammit! That asshole has to be stopped!" He vented through the phone. He could almost hear his brother contemplating everything he had just told him and weighing the consequences.

"And what do I, Sesshoumaru get out of this?" Inuyasha slammed his fist against the car dash. Somehow he knew it would come to this. Sesshoumaru didn't give out favors without expecting a return of some sort. Not even for this. Inuyasha sighed, making a quick decision. He would give it up, anything to save the abused girl who had won his heart.

"You can have it. I will give you the family heirloom, Tetsusaiga. Father expressly said that he wanted me to have it, but this girls life is not worth a piece of old furniture, antique or not. Will you help?" Inuyasha gripped the steering wheel tightly, waiting anxiously.

"Honor says that when given a present, one must return it in equal value. Father's sword is a priceless item to me. Is your love for this girl just as priceless?" There was elasticity to his voice, which did not divulge in emotion. It ate at him, made him think. Did he love Kagome that much? He thought of her dead, or not apart of his life, suffering with hers while he did nothing. A gut clenching pain punched him in the stomach and he drew in a sharp breath. He did not want to live without her. That would be agony.

"Yes. I want to live with her, keep her safe, for the rest of my life. I can't stand the thought of her being abused like that." Inuyasha held his breath in hope and anticipation of an answer. Wheels turned in the mind of the other brother and finally his cold voice resounded through the phone.

"I will help you, then. Who is this girl? Where does she live?" He asked. He heard the audible sigh of relief on the other side. Inuyasha thought of the things they could do together. She would be there with him. He was going to save her.

"Her name is Kago-"He didn't finish because it was then that he noticed a car on his tail, off to the left side a little. It had touched his left side with its nose, making him turn the wheel sharply to the left to keep from going off the road. "Shit! Some ass hole is trying to push me off the-"Again he stopped. Sesshoumaru heard the distinct sounds of tires squealing and another curse from his brother's foul mouth.

"Inuyasha?" He called, not expecting an answer. He heard a loud crash and a sickening thud. He listened carefully for any noises, and heard the sounds of someone going through the brush. Had the idiot gotten out of the car? But as he listened carefully he heard the sounds of labored breathing that were definitely his brothers.

"Sesshou, I crashed. On I-97. Someone, forced me..." He heard a bone- racking cough. "There's someone here, with black hair, waist length. He has on a shirt that has a green dragon curled around a cross. Don't forget. He's the one. He hurt Kagome..." He heard the sound of a car door being jerked open and a voice he would never forget, though the words were muffled. The voice had a silkiness about it, it radiated evil. Sesshoumaru listened while they spoke, hearing Inuyasha's angry, weak voice clearly.

"You bastard! Stay away from her! She did nothing to you!" And then the other voice he managed to make out answering him.

"Oh, but she has done something. Or maybe more like she has something of mine." The voice was so smooth, it flowed like butter. It held a bemused tone to it. He thanked the gods Inuyasha always had enough presence of mind to identify his attacker. He heard silence for many moments before a gunshot was heard. His brother's laborious breathing quieted, making his blood boil. Even if he hated the little bastard, it was a great offense to kill him like that. It hurt pride and honor, and by standards, he was obligated to find his brothers murderer and avenge his death. He heard a scratching noise and realized the phone had been picked up. The cool, clear voice floated through.

"And so, it ends. Or begins. Good luck, Sesshoumaru." The sound of laughter was heard coming musically through, sickening and angering him. He slammed down the phone. He rose from his work desk and grabbed his car keys and other things he could not leave at his desk. He filed away important papers, locking them in a cabinet before going in and explaining to his boss why he was leaving. The guy gave him a crude look before nodding and watching as the long-swift strides carried the young man out of the room. He hated the bastard; he was too quick and sarcastic for his own good. It would get him killed one day. The silver haired man was always cold, but now he could see lines of anger on his face and knew that whoever had made him that way had better be smarter than he was. Otherwise they would pay dearly from the merciless man.

Kagome looked into her Mom's angry face, shocked to see her there. Her mother finally looked away and made a quick motion with her hand.

"Get dressed and come downstairs so we can talk." Was all she said in the dark room. Kagome nodded, but realized she couldn't see it and murmured a quiet yes. She looked down, ashamed. Had her mother seen her bruises? She didn't thing so, it was really dark in her room, the only source of light coming from the crescent moon shining in her window behind her, making shadows of her body. Her mother turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Kagome felt the shame wash through her. She picked up the clothes she had had on before, but realized the knee of the pajama bottoms was all bloody. She found another pair and slipped them on, then a T-shirt she had had on before. She made sure it covered all her bruised except the one on her face, and opened her door. She trudged down the stairs and stood shyly by the bottom of them, her mother watching from the kitchen table. She looked up tiredly and motioned for her to sit down. Kagome did so carefully and avoided her mother's eyes.

"I can't believe you would engage in sexual intercourse without using a condom! Kagome, I thought I taught you better than that!" Her mother gave her a stern look and shook her head in obvious frustration. Kagome jumped up in horror.

"Oh my god! We didn't, I can't believe I forgot! What if I'm pregnant?!" She screamed hysterically. Her mother got up from the table and grabbed her shoulders.

"It's okay Kagome. You can take the morning after pill. We just have to hope that it works. Calm down." She stilled under her mothers gentle hands. Her mother was right; it wasn't very likely she was pregnant anyway. She sat, thinking of how many times Naraku had taken her, but she wasn't pregnant from him. It had been two months, it would show by now. And the fact that she had just had her period two weeks ago proved that theory correct. So what was the likeliness that she would get pregnant from Inuyasha? But if she did... She couldn't deal with a baby right now! She was only a Senior in high school. She simply _couldn't _get pregnant. She decided to go on the contraceptive pill soon.

"Mom, can we get the pill?" She asked nervously. Her mother nodded and smiled. Then she took on a stern look again.

"Yeah, we will, but I don't ever want to find out that you've been having unprotected sex again. I know the condom can break, and that's why I am going to get the pill, but that doesn't mean condoms are useless. There are a lot of diseases out there that it will protect you from." Kagome blushed and promised not to do it again, feeling as chastised as a child. She was brought out of her shame to be filled with embarrassment when her mom spoke again. "So... how was it? Is the guy any good? He must be, I could hear you all the way down here." Kagome opened her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god! Mother! You... uh! I can't believe your asking me that! I'm going back upstairs!" She turned one more disgusted look at her mother before fleeing upstairs and shutting her door quickly behind her. She heard her mother's laughter echo through the house and turned bright red. Exactly how loud had she been? Oh, how embarrassing! She went over to her desk and saw a vase on it, a single red rose peeking at her prettily.

"He didn't." She looked at it closely and realized he must have brought it to give to her and forgotten all about it with all that happened. She noticed the way the water was colored, and how the rose was in the end of its life. Soon it would shrivel and die. She decided to preserve it and pulled it out of the vase to finger it gently. It was cool and soft to the touch, making her fingers feel smoother where she had come in contact with it. She lifted it lovingly to her face to smell and inhaled the sweet fragrance, thinking of how he smelled. She would always associate the smell of rose with him now; it would always pop into her mind when she smelled one. She sat on her bed, smiling dreamily. The song I Love You came into her head out of nowhere and she found herself singing the country song. She didn't know what she was feeling. She'd heard of how people would think they were in love, but were really just infatuated with the person. There was a difference, she knew it. She examined her feelings, trying to determine what she felt.

A sudden pain shot through her heart and the rose in her hands dried up, still beautiful, but crushed looking and sad. It tipped to the side and seemed to die in her hands. She felt the hollowness all the way through her heart and cried out in anguish. She cradled the rose gently, feeling its weakness and trying to will it back. But it stayed dry and dead looking, though it still retained all of its color. She felt tears slip through her tightly closed lids and dropped the rose to the floor. It slipped from her fingers and she felt numb on the inside.

"No, he can't be, he's not dead. It's not possible! INUYASHA!" She screamed hysterically.

Sesshoumaru finally found it, the spot he had gone off of the road. There were the tire marks on the road where he had been forced off. He followed the fresh trail of tire tracks and not far into the woods saw a black car wrapped around a tree. The front fender was bent around the unforgiving tree. He crept silently nearer to the driver side door, going carefully in case someone was still here. He hoped it with all of his heart as he readjusted the position of the gun in his hand. He looked everything around the car over closely, but there was no one here. He peered into the car too see his brother holding a pistol to his head, not quite dry blood a trickle down the side of his face. He noticed the way there were no other prints on the gun, from his sight, and how the handle looked to wiped clean. The guy was smart, he knew enough to set it up and erase his prints. Sesshoumaru peered over and saw the cell phone had the same, wiped appearance. He swore, he had hoped that the cunning bastard might have overlooked that.

He saw that Inuyasha was trapped inside, his legs crushed, and another wound on his head where he had hit it when he had crashed. He looked at his brothers amber eyes and thought he saw anger in them. But when he blinked all he saw were a pair of glazed, dead eyes. Sesshoumaru's expression never wavered, but he did feel sorrow, somewhere in the depths of his soul. Most of what he felt was anger; someone had killed his brother to continue raping the poor girl he had been trying to help. It was dishonorable and despicable. He walked back to his car and called the police, sitting in his car with some music on to prepare to wait for them. He changed his mind, turning down the music to place a few phone calls.

Kagome got carefully out of the car, opening her umbrella to keep from being soaked. Not that she cared. She squished over the wet grass to where a few people were gathered, getting a few weird, questioning looks. No one here had any idea who she was. They were all family; she was the only one who was not related to him. She stared at the casket, seeing it was closed, having hoped it wouldn't be. She had wanted to see him one last time. She studied faces around her and found they were all familiar. A woman in her mid thirties had the same facial structure as he did. Another man had the golden eyes, though not quite as bright as his had been. Another man there caught her eye, he had the same silver hair, except maybe more bluish, with the same incredible eyes. There was no difference in color. She stared into them and found there was a distinction. This man's eyes were so cold; they seemed to be dead, yet at the same time, so vibrantly alive. There was no emotion in them, she concluded. It must be horrible, to hold it all in like he did. She knew how she felt holding herself together and to herself as much as she did, and this man was much more extreme. One look at him told her he had insufferable pride and honor.

She was surprised when amber locked onto her sapphire eyes. He stood there for a moment before coming over to talk to her. She realized that another difference was their height; this man was taller than Inuyasha by at least four inches, maybe even six. He towered over her and she tipped her head up to look at him. He stopped slightly to her left and glanced at the coffin before bringing his gaze back to her. It wrenched her heart to look at him, he reminded her of their time together, short and bittersweet.

"Are you Inuyasha's girlfriend?" he asked without preamble. She bit her lip.

"I guess you could say that. Never officially or anything." She answered quietly. He narrowed his eyes at her. She felt the need to express herself to him, tell him her thoughts. "I don't think it was an accident, Inuyasha may have been irresponsible, but he wasn't a reckless driver by any means. He could do amazing things in a car. And there's nothing that would have made him go off the road. All there was was some blue paint on the left side of the car and a dent. There were no blown tires, the brake lines were fine, and there is no reason why he crashed." This man was unreadable; he did not show what he thought at all. "By the way, what is your name? How are you related to him?" She asked gently.

"I am Sesshoumaru, his brother. I agree with you. I know for a fact that he was not dead when he crashed. Perhaps I should tell you everything." He gestured to his car and saw her blanch in fear. Yes, she was the one. He might as well let on now that he knew. "Don't fear me. I am going to help you catch your abuser and his killer. I am a detective. I will not harm you." Her jaw was slack in shock that he knew about her. He was heading towards his car now and she hurried after, getting into the open door that he held for her. It took her a moment to realize the car she was in was expensive. The leather seats were not at all worn and had the new smell to them still. She slid into the seat and heard the door close sharply behind her, sentencing her, imprisoning her. She shuddered and sat stiffly as he got in the drivers side and started the car, gunning the engine and putting the car smoothly into gear. She watched as they left the cemetery and headed out toward town.

"Where are we going?" He cast her worried face a sidelong glance and answered.

"I am taking you to the police station to show you something." He replied, distant and uncaring. She watched how he shifted gears almost unconsciously. His control and manipulation of the car fascinated her. They went so smoothly down the highway she looked at the speedometer and realized they were well over the speed limit. It wasn't even noticeable, except the amount of cars that they were passing. He shifted and went around the tractor-trailer in front of them, sliding in between two cars effortlessly to get off on the next exit. He swept down it and shifted down to slow for the stop sign. He watched the traffic unemotionally, waited patiently for an opening to turn right and made one when no one stopped for him. He pulled out and they roared away as the other car came within 20 feet of their car. She laughed and he threw her a sideways glance, quickly replacing surprise with solidness at her gleeful expression. After what had happened to Inuyasha, he had expected her to be frightened; but she was sitting on the end of the seat an excited glint in her eyes and a happy smile on her face.

"Ha! Take that, asshole! Stop next time, why don't you!" She yelled at the guy behind them. She blushed when he raised an eyebrow at her and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her. He slowed and she thought he was going to turn, but then he shifted and took off fast, throwing her off at the sudden increase in speed but downshifted as he slowed to accommodate the car in front of them. He glanced at her again, just to be sure and saw a grin of pleasure on her face and felt the need to grin at her. He controlled it and decided that now was the time to tell her everything.

"He was coming from your house to the family Manor in Newipsuich on I-97. He called me on his cell phone and told me how the man was abusing you. He asked for my help to investigate undercover to catch the bastard and eventually I agreed." She interrupted him.

"Why did you decide to do it?" She asked, her voice hoarse. She felt very self-conscious, since this man knew about her, what was happening to her. She felt sorrow to realize that Inuyasha was trying to help her, and had become the target for Naraku instead. Her eyes burned with unshed tears but she kept them in check, not wanting to cry in front of this stranger. What was his name? Sesshoumaru? How odd, what did it mean? It was different, and that made it unique. She had always liked unique, and hoped that she could be friends with this haunting person. She turned to look at him and saw again the similarities between the two brothers and thought better of it. Maybe she shouldn't be near him any longer than she had to. He only reminded her of pain, bittersweet pain. Excruciatingly acute and never-ending.

"I was offered something that is very valuable to me." He said mysteriously. She saw the harshness in his eyes and decided not to push the issue. She did ask one more thing about it.

"Why are you helping me?" He gave her a penetrating stare and then turned ahead to watch the road. She was sure he wasn't going to answer and was caught by surprise when he did.

"I can not honorably take what he has now left to me without doing my part of the bargain. Besides, I have a right to catch the criminal who caused his death; his murder was dishonorable and scornful to my name. It is a hit to my family to kill my brother that way. I have a duty to make sure the despicable killer is caught." He finished. She was unsettled by all this talk of duty and honor. It made her feel he wasn't trying to help her at all, but just uphold his honor and pride. She turned to him angrily.

"So you don't want to stop him for the sake of anyone else? All the people he could be hurting, or even killing, and you don't care? You selfish bastard! All you care about is family name, family honor, pride... Your so cold!" She turned back to stare out the window. He was glaring at her for saying that about him but said nothing. She was right. He did all of this for himself, but why not? No one else matters to him, so why would he try to help him? They never did anything for him! "Take me home, please." He darted another look at her, his face controlled once again.

"I planned to take you to see evidence we have that he was murdered and that is what I am going to do. Then I will help you find him and stop him, whether you want the help or not." He said, his voice a void, nothing, yet so strong and powerful at the same time. She studied him before deciding it really wouldn't hurt anything. She thrilled again as they picked up speed and he shifted systematically. She couldn't keep silent.

"What kind of car is this?" She let curiosity get the better of her. Again she had surprised him but he composed himself quickly. He marveled that this girl could change moods so quickly and shook his head before answering her.

"It's a model that has not come out yet, because it is the only one of its kind. There will not be any of these, they were deemed too powerful for the average person." She was drinking in his every word and he stopped, disconcerted. Sure, he had girls do their drooling thing with him, but he found that this one wasn't drooling over him; she was going gaga over his car!

"How in the world did you end up with it then? And what make is it?" She asked him quickly. He sighed. He didn't sound annoyed, just slightly perplexed.

"It's an Eon R-2. One of a kind. I got it from a client who made new prototypes, who had been conned. I traced the guy and found him, recovering quite a few people's money. I also got paid quite nicely for finding him, besides the presents from clients." She realized he held a lot of pride in his car too. She leaned back, contented with the answers to her questions, thinking. That meant this guy was probably pretty rich. He sounded like he was pretty good. Hope stirred within her that maybe she could get out of the torment and pain that clouded her life. Maybe she could escape, with Sesshoumaru's help. Her pain filled, dull heart alighted with new hope. Maybe...

"I never finished what I was telling you." She heard from her driver. She turned to see him glance at her and nodded. He proceeded. "I was on the cell phone with Inuyasha, after I had promised to help him, when it happened. I heard him swear and he said that someone was trying to push him off of the road. Then there was crashing and a final hit. It was silent for a moment before he picked up the phone and said someone had pushed his car off of the road and that they were coming closer to the car. He must have dropped the phone, but I heard most of clearly." He stopped and took a breath before continuing. She could tell he was trying to be as emotionless as possible, but there was hint of feeling there, just beyond the ice. "I heard him swearing and telling whoever it was to leave you alone. He managed to get out that the man had waist length black hair and a shirt with a dragon on it wrapped around a cross." He glanced at her see gauge a reaction. She was looking mutinous and had a hand over her heart. He concluded that it must be the same guy.

"He was shot, and the guy framed Inuyasha for killing himself by putting the gun in his hand, wiping his prints off of it."

"That asshole!" Tears were running down her face. "He killed him, oh my god, he's going to pay!" Sesshoumaru said nothing to her outburst for a moment.

"I take it he is the same man who is abusing you?" She looked down and nodded, ashamed. He found it intriguing that she seemed to blame herself for it. It surprised him when his mouth tried to form reassuring words of comfort and he fought them down with disgust. Was he going to start telling her nice things and making jokes with her next? Sure, he wasn't going to kill anybody (most times) or abuse a defenseless girl, but he wasn't going to comfort her either. It was pointless and below him. He had better things to say and do. Finally he remembered their earlier conversation and he thought of something he had not asked her yet.

"This, man... what was his name?" She brought her red-rimmed eyes to his and had the decency to look startled. Finally she figured out what he was talking about and answered his question.

"His name is Naraku." She wiped at her eyes, drying them with a handkerchief. "Aren't you afraid that he'll come after you now? I mean, he found out right off that Inuyasha was trying to help me, and then killed him. Doesn't that bother you?" He almost laughed and almost gaped at her at the same time, stunned and humored by her. Anyone coming after him would have to do more than try to run him off the road. Then the fact that she seemed worried about HIM! That was slightly confusing. No one had ever cared about anything that happened to him before, so this was a new feeling to him.

"Why do you care? Does it matter to you if I live or die?" She looked startled before smiling.

"Of course I care. Your Inuyasha's brother, and I have almost a kinship to you because of it. I hate to see anyone die, but you're going to help me, and it would help if you were alive to do so." She was taken aback by the emotion on his face. He had such a stoic face, she had almost gotten used to seeing nothing there. It came as quite a surprise when his face contorted with a confused frown. He seemed almost angry and a deadly silence filled the car. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Umm... Was there anything else that you wanted to know?" She asked quietly. He gave her a lucid glance before remembering the other thing he wanted to ask her.

"Yes, actually." His cool voice never changed. "This Naraku character said you had something of his. May I ask what it is and why you have it?" She consulted her lap again and he wanted to push her, but kept silent.

"I don't think, I should..." She faltered and he gave her an exasperated look, propping his momentarily free arm on the seat between and behind her. He sighed and decided to try and explain his way into it.

"In order for this to work we have to trust each other. I need to know what this is in order to know why he has to have it. It will bring us tremendously closer to finding and catching him." That was it, if she didn't tell him after that bit of spiel he had dealt her, he would start to get annoyed. It would help in catching Naraku, he just hoped the first part didn't come back to haunt him.

"I, okay." She sighed in defeat. "It's called the Shikon No Tama. My grandfather gave it to me right before he died and said to protect it with my life, or else something very bad would happen. Naraku does not know where it is, or even what it is. I think it will help him gain power and wealth somehow. I know it has special powers, I'm just not sure what they are..." She swallowed. "That's why he hasn't killed me. He doesn't know where to find it, or even where to look since he does not know what it is." She put a hand over her heart and then pulled out the jewel that lay beneath, connected to a chain around her neck. "This is the Shikon No Tama." He wanted to take a closer look at it, but decided to wait until they were stopped. It flashed in the sun a few times as he pulled into the police station and cut the engine, pulling out the keys and pocketing them.

Kagome sat and fondled the jewel. In ways she hated it, for it caused all of her pain. But then again, she loved it, it was the only thing left from her grandfather. She treasured this jewel more than anything, it must have been really important for her grandfather to die for it. She had decided long ago that she would make sure he had not died in vain. She was startled as hell when a hand reached out to take the jewel and look more closely at it. She stiffened nervously when he leaned closer to get a better look and shut her eyes. Fear tightened around her heart like a vise and made her shake. Slowly she opened her eyes and her heart relaxed as he examined the jewel, turning it this way and that. This was Sesshoumaru, not Naraku. He was leaning over to look at the Shikon, not to grab her or hit her. Her breathing returned to normal and she inhaled sharply through her nose, a musky, warm and sweet scent reaching her nose. Damn, he smelled good...

Suddenly she was conscious of just how close he was, how his hair swept forward and almost touched the seat, it was so long. His face was barely a foot away and his eyes flickered to hers briefly before he let go of the jewel and sat up straight. She could feel heat running in her veins and blushed. She felt like she was betraying Inuyasha by having this feeling for his brother, but it was unstoppable. When she glanced at him, did she notice his scornful look or cold eyes? No... now she could only see how beautiful his eyes were and how kissable his lips. Damn these feelings! She should not be feeling this for Inuyasha's brother! He was not even cold in the grave, and she was betraying him!

"Come, let's go in and I will show you the limited evidence we have that Inuyasha was killed by this fellow, Naraku." His flat voice beckoned her from the car and into the station where she would relive more pain filled memories. Just what was at the top of her to do list right this moment! Yay...

DONE!!! NEXT CHAPPIE! Have fun reading...

AND PLEAZ REVIEW!!! On knees with hands held in front of her clasped together please! Beg Pretty please? Lip puckers last but not least puppy-dog eyes Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top?

Hah! Knew I'd get you with that one! Now review or I'll do it again! Or if you can't review, email me at .

Thanks to all the people who did review! By the way, I do that for free if you ask real nicely... J/K

RyuuAngel


	4. Oppression

Chapter 3: Oppression

Kagome sighed, typing away on her flashing computer, her hands flying over the keyboard. Her term paper was almost done, and if she got half as good of a grade as she thought, she would be class valedictorian. Her grades had always been pretty good, but with all the stress in her life, she had thrown herself into her studies. Her grades largely reflected it and she found that doing a month's worth of homework was not as hard as it seemed. So she was given honors classes as she got further and further from the other students, bypassing many. Now she was in top classes that would make her first year at college easier, they were college courses. Her essay was coming out nicely and all that was left was the conclusion.

Her brother was at a friend's house and her mother was working all night, and it was only 6:00p.m. now. She would be alone tonight, again. Maybe she would do the work in History for the next week or so, to get ahead. It certainly wouldn't hurt any.

The sudden crashing of her door being thrown open jerked her back to reality and where she was. She whipped her head around to see who had burst into her room and her heart stopped, then starting beating far too quickly. Panic seized her and rendered her motionless as her assailant came across the room in long steps, his hand raising in a smooth movement. He backhanded her across the face before she could react and she fell spinning from the chair and hit the floor hard. Her brain hazed at being hit so hard, her neck ached from whipping around so harshly. When her senses had somewhat returned, she realized the weight on her was not the fallen chair, but a moving body. She felt his hands roughly removing her clothing and fought to stop him. He had her almost unclothed and managed to get the rest off. He came at her but Kagome brought her knees up forcefully, effectively knocking him off. He put out a hand and regained his balance, slapping her hard across the face with his open hand.

Inuyasha's face filled her eyes and she fought tooth and nail, savagely. She saw nothing, only hit and kicked and did whatever she could to remove the body from her own. He growled and suddenly she felt cold steel touch her throat, pushing lightly. She seized struggling and breathed fearfully, little gasps of rage and dread coming from her. The knife pressed closer and slit her throat with a hairline cut, not deep enough to do anything more than hurt. A stinging sensation came like waves from her throat and took over her whole neck, scaring her into stillness. She felt his hardened length invade her and tears slid out of her sightless eyes. She tried to pull away, but felt him press the knife to her stomach. She sobbed in humiliation and defeat and lay limp while he grunted and strained above her.

Once again, her deceased lover's face appeared behind closed lids and she concentrated on it, remembering his tenderness, his love. How he had followed her forever trying to get to her. She had wanted so badly to talk to him, but had been afraid of what Naraku would do. She regretted letting things escalate the way they had. If she had only been strong enough to tell him to leave, he would still be alive, still breath and enjoy life's daily wonders. It was her fault. She had caused his death.

Suddenly a face much like Inuyasha's but so different at the same time popped into her head. Sesshoumaru. He was so very handsome too, with his deep, broad shoulders, long silvery hair, perfect face and golden eyes. No doubt that he was the ideal of masculine beauty. But why was someone who had so much, money, looks, power, why was he so cold? So withdrawn? His heart seemed to be closed off, barricaded, protected. She wanted to be friends with him, if only to see what had turned him into such a loner and so stoical. She had gone to see the evidence and managed to keep her emotions in check through it all, even Inuyasha's cell phone, with little bloodstains on it. The gun had no prints on it, save the ones that were from Inuyasha's hand holding the gun when Naraku had left. There was no recording of the conversation Sesshoumaru had had with Inuyasha, so it was hearsay only. The car was the only other piece of evidence, which was being brushed for prints at this moment.

At the feeling of her hand being tugged Kagome drifted back into herself, allowing herself to feel her pain and senses. Naraku was squatting beside her, her hand held tightly but not painfully in his hand. She looked straight up, not at the filth near her. She did not try to withdraw her hand, it was useless. She saw the glint of the steel again and felt sharp pain in her palm. Her eyes rolled and she shuddered, but did not make a sound.

"You have been very bad, Kagome. I warned you. This time you get an extra punishment." The feeling of pain grew before becoming a background stinging as she tuned that out too. She allowed herself to fall into her own little world where she could lie safe again. This time when she came back she was lying alone and bleeding, the blood on her neck almost dried. She slowly and painfully sat up, daring to look at her hand. What she saw sickened her, made the universe tilt an extra degree. Her hand was bloody and had long, deep but not fatal cuts going from the tip of her fingers to a center one in the middle of her palm. She felt sticky and realized the blood from her hand had gotten all over her body, making her feel even grosser because of the smell of his body all over her. She felt like vomiting but swallowed multiple times until the feeling faded. She forced herself to unsteady feet and her brain tilted and skewed, making her reach out a hand as she swayed. The bed post lended support as she waited for the universe to stop spinning. When it was down to a bearable level she started toward the bathroom, putting on a cotton robe before going in jagged lines toward her door and down the stairs. She grasped the jewel hanging around her neck and too strength from it. Everything was hazy and undefined; she figured she had lost quite a bit of blood. She laughed when she realized that this was how it must be to be drunk, only without the pain. Her thoughts were disorganized, and the worst part was that she knew they were. She dazedly went out the front door and to find help.

Sesshoumaru finished washing the dishes and set the cloth neatly to the side until later. He straightened out a wrinkle in a pillow as he went into his living room and sat in his favorite chair. He picked up the remote on the table near his chair and turned on the TV, spotting a smudge on the screen. He rose from the overstuffed chair and sauntered into his kitchen to get glass cleaner and a cloth. He returned and carefully wiped at the imperfection on the screen, removing it and making sure to leave no streaks after. He put his utensils away in their designated places before sitting back down in his chair and taking a sip of his coffee. He impulsively noticed a magazine that was not aligned with the stack and used a fingertip to fix it. His plush green carpet and the furniture were immaculately clean. Very few adornments graced the walls, the few that did glistened cleanly. A sword hung above the mantle of the fireplace, chipped and ageing. It was the only thing he had from his father, and soon the Tetsusaiga would be up there too. On the other wall was a picture of a huge dog, having just landed and was twisting back around toward the onlooker of the picture. His red eyes glowed, his silvery white coat magnificent. The painting was obviously done by someone very talented, it was a masterpiece. The lighting gave the effect that the giant dog was going to come out of the picture and eat you. A crescent moon hung in the sky behind the dog, making the painting seem complete. Sesshoumaru surfed through the TV guide to try to find something decent to watch.

A gentle fumbling knock at the door surprised him, though he did not show it. He wondered who would be coming to see him now, it being quarter of seven. He sighed in annoyance and stood gracefully from his comfortable chair, gliding across the floor to answer it. He opened the door, expecting to see a relative or friend who would want hospitality for the evening. But the figure that stood in the doorway was neither, no, this was a surprise. Kagome shivered and swayed framed in the doorway, her eyes unfocused. A terry-cloth robe was wrapped around her, dark spots on it he recognized as bloodstains. There was a bulge in the front and a chain was visible going around her neck; the Shikon No Tama. She shifted her eyes to his and blinked hazily.

"I have a cut." She said simply, holding out her hand. At first thought it looked like she had wrapped it in some kind of dark material. Then he realized it was her flesh that was hanging like that, tattered and bloody. It dripped on the threshold into his house and spattered upon impact. He felt disgusted, not with her, but with who had done it. It was obvious that she had been visited by their pursued. He did not move for a moment, watching as she shivered and put her other hand out to grasp the doorframe, almost falling. He grabbed her shoulder to keep her from hitting the ground. He guided her into the house and saw with a hint of annoyance that she was putting bloody footprints on his perfect floor with her bare feet. He got her into the kitchen and sitting in the chair at the oak table, shaking. Her hands quaked and she was devastatingly weak from loss of blood. He got a clean dishtowel and wrapped her bleeding hand up in it, seeing in the brighter light a thin, dried cut that went horizontally across her neck. It angered him when he realized what that piece of dirt must have done to her, used her, hurt her. He almost growled when he realized what he was thinking but controlled it, getting some things to try and treat her wounds. He went into the bathroom and collected his supplies while she waited, unfeeling in his kitchen. He returned to her, the sightless stare still getting to him. He was the only one who was supposed to be able to do that and he wasn't used to seeing it.

"I hope I am not... imposing." She said in a low, toneless voice. He clenched his jaw and said nothing, tipping her head back to do what he could for the cut on her neck. He cleaned it carefully before putting antiseptic on it and two little band-aids. It covered most of the cut, which was all that was needed for the shallow wound. He noticed a few bruises on her, just starting to form into ugly black marks on her legs and arms. A rage filled him that he managed to quell, forcing his hands to stay steady and swearing silently when they disobeyed. Her hand's bleeding had finally slowed so he removed the cloth and motioned for her to stand. He brought her over to the sink and turned on the cold water gently, placing her hand under it. He held her hand there, feeling like he was holding a dead weight. The blood slowly washed away to reveal pink, ripped flesh.

"Damn." No wonder it had bled so long. The palm was cut deeply, long slits running down her fingers from that center cut. Muscles and tendons and nerves were all severed, making her hand limp and swollen. The loose flesh flapped in the cold water and must have been painful, yet she stood there unmoving, no expression on her delicate features. The robe slipped a little when he pulled her closer to the sink so her arm wasn't stretched so far. He caught a glimpse of the jewel nestled in her pearly flesh of the tops of her breasts and felt heat pool within him. He cursed and did his best to suppress the feeling, hating himself for it. She did nothing to fix the robe, not really there, and his gaze was drawn there, until he stared fixedly at her hand until he was sure it was clean. Then he put a salve on it and wrapped it gently, carefully, aware of the fact it must hurt. Still, she did not react and he began to worry.

"Kagome." Her eyes flashed and fixed to a point somewhere near his face. "Are you tired?" She nodded and let her eyes drop from his. He took her arm gently, guiding her as best he could toward the hallway and down to a spare room. She began to fall despite his steadying hand and he grabbed her, preventing it. Her body was light in his arms and he picked her up, swinging her legs up and taking her the rest of the way down the hall. He got into the room and set her softly onto the bed in a sitting position. He scrutinized the robe and saw the blood on it and cringed inside. He went quickly to his room, sighing, wondering why he was helping her. Was it an obligation to his brother? Or something else?

He rummaged through his shirts and found a large one that would cover her to her knees. He took it and made his way back to the room he had put her in down the hall from his. He entered the room and saw her eyes jump to him, fear encompassing her. Then they blanked and he knew he had lost her for the moment. He attempted to get her to stand and held her up.

"Kagome, can you change?" She did not answer. "Kagome." Her eyes did not even flitter. "I will have to do it if you do not." He was certain that would get to her but still she seemed to not comprehend, so he propped her against the bed and shakingly reached for the knot at the front of her robe. It came undone easily and he slid it off, clenching his jaw to ignore the arousal the sight of her body produced. The silver chain around her neck flowed down and was attached to the Shikon she suffered for. He lifted the large t-shirt over her head and pulled it down, careful not to touch her. Then he held her to him, feeling as another wave of heat rode through him, and pulled back the covers to the bed. He put her into it and pulled the covers up securely, willing himself to feel nothing. His famous self-control was evasive this moment and his fingers brushed back her hair out of her face tenderly. He stared into her face a moment before shaking himself and turning and leaving the room, robe in hand. The light switched off and the door closed with a sharp click, and then her eyes shut and she was asleep.

Kagome started out of her dream and sat up quickly, her breath wheezing in and out of her lungs. She pressed her hand to her rapidly beating heart, attempting to calm it. Then the sheets around her and the clothes on her body claimed her attention, making her realize they were not familiar. Memories of the night before flooded back and made tears sting her eyes and her hand throb with remembered pain. She did not remember much after she had knocked on Sesshoumaru's door, except glimpses of him taking care of her. She wondered how she had gotten into these clothes and shuttered at a thought. She yanked back the covers and stood, her head spinning from the lack of blood. She sat back down and rubbed her temples. Her blood loss was still affecting her, so she rose slowly and started toward the door.

Her hand closed over the knob and she opened it, not sure where to go, having not seen the house last night. Her body ached with bruises and stiffness as she picked the promising looking right turn from her room. Smells of food and cooking wafted at her and she licked her lips, having never eaten supper last night. Her stomach rumbled hopefully and she entered the very clean looking kitchen. The blood from the night before was all gone, scrubbed away by obsessive hands. He was swirling something in a frying pan and glanced at her before finishing what he was doing and motioning for her to sit. She did and watched him. He handled the pan expertly, adding ingredients and mixing foods before pouring them in. Her mouth watered in anticipation.

"Do you like omelets?" He stopped and turned toward her, his blank eyes boring into hers. She blushed and played with the doily on the table. The food cooked for a moment, sizzling and spitting.

"Yes, what kind?" She said in a quiet voice, carefully projected at him. His face never changed.

"Plain, with cheddar cheese. How is your hand?" His gaze went briefly to her hand before returning to her face. She lifted the wrapped appendage.

"I haven't seen it but it hurts like a bitch." He smirked at her use of words before turning back to his job. He put the cheese in them and flipped them smoothly, letting them cook for a moment before scooping them out and putting one large, thick omelet on each plate and putting the pan back on the burner to cool.

"I'm sorry for bugging you. You were the first person I thought of, my mother was at work far from here. It never occurred to me to call her." She looked into his eyes and saw questioning, quickly replaced by nothingness. She wondered what that was.

"It's fine." Was his quick and curt answer, said between his teeth. He sat and took his napkin and placed it in his lap before picking up his fork. She did the same and watched fascinated while he neatly cut a piece of omelet and placed it carefully into his mouth, his gaze on the plate. She almost couldn't bring herself to eat in front of someone who ate so neatly, but her stomach once again reminded her of the night's events. So she dug in and ignored his looks of amusement.

"Are you starved?" He quirked an eyebrow at her and she swallowed, trying her best not to blush, failing miserably.

"I didn't eat anything for supper or lunch yesterday, and only had an orange for breakfast." She replied before stuffing another mouthful in. He neatly finished his breakfast and sipped an orange juice while she finished hers. She realized there was a pre-poured glass of orange juice next to her plate and took a few gulps. She set it down, satisfied, and sat back. His amusement had not faded, but she ignored it.

"That was wonderful. You cook very well." The amusement disappeared and his look hardened into rock. She felt emptiness at the fact that she had caused him to close up again. Was she going to have to walk on eggshells around him?

"I believe you should contact your mother and explain everything to her. I do not think you should stay there anymore, until the rapist is caught." The word rapist rang in the air around her and choked her. She forced her chin up and nodded. He pointed to a small glass table where a portable phone sat expectantly. She cleared her throat nervously. He finished putting their plates in the sink and sat back down, waiting for her to speak.

"I, don't exactly know what happened last night." It was obvious she wanted him to recount it. He folded his hands on the table, sighing. "I do know that I came here in a robe and awoke in this shirt." So that was what her problem was. She was unsure of those kind of events last night and wondered what he may have done to her. He sighed.

"You need not worry. I would not sink so low as to take advantage of someone who was not mentally stable at the moment." She frowned at him dubbing her mentally unbalanced but said nothing, relieved at his answer. "You came to my door about 6:45 p.m. You were dazed and not yourself. I did the best I would to clean and cover the cut on your neck and your wounded hand. Your hand did not stop bleeding for a long time." She raised her eyebrows at that and held up the almost blood-soaked hand. "It seems it still has not stopped and will have to be rebandaged." She nodded agreement and he went on. "After that was done you seemed about ready to faint and so I took you to the spare bedroom. Your robe was covered in blood so I gave you a shirt to wear. I asked you if you could change and you did not respond. So I changed you and put you into the bed." His words seemed like butter, flowing smoothly. She was blushing at the thought of him seeing her naked and she looked at the table for a moment. But she had one more question. He walked over and started the few dishes in the sink, cleaning them efficiently and promptly.

"Where do you suggest I stay? And for how long do you think I'll be there?" She angled down and propped herself up on her elbows, her hands clasped together on the table. His gaze rose from his dish cleaning to meet hers briefly before he turned back and continued.

"It shouldn't be for more than six months, or however long it takes to catch Inuyasha's murderer. I don't think it will be much longer than a few months, if he keeps coming after you like that. We're bound to catch him one of these times." His cool voice projected from where he was standing, back to her. "Do you have any relatives out of state you could live with?"

"No, and I don't want to leave in the middle of the school semester anyway. I have top grades and don't plan to lose them because of an asshole like Naraku." Her fists clenched on the table and she stood straight. "I'm afraid my family will be targeted next, though." Her voice sounded small and afraid when she said that, like she was begging him for an answer. He wondered why she risked her life for something as silly as a jewel with supposed powers. An uncontrollable thought popped into his head and he found himself liking the idea. She would be safe, he would rest easy, it would work.

"You mother and brother could go and live under protection for a little while, which is free, and you could stay here with me. I have plenty of room, and you could still go to school. You would be protected as long as you were with me, which may stop his attacks on you, or help us catch him." His voice sounded absurd in his mind, but he dried his hands on a towel and turned to face her. She looked shocked, then like she was going to object, then thoughtful. That jewel hung around her neck, mocking him. There was no such things as rocks with powers, he thought sneeringly.

She froze, astounded as such a stupid idea. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse when she looked into his cold eyes and the words caught in her throat. His eyes were so cold, and so beautiful, tortured in their own way. A few times she had seen it, something... His logic made sense, her family would be safe, she would be somewhat protected without having to be in the Witness Protection Program and losing all she had worked so hard for. She would not halt her life because of that dirty bastard, and this was the perfect solution. God, how was she going to tell her mother? Her laugh was mirthless and flat.

"What?" Sesshoumaru gave her an odd look. She smiled a sad smile, not really a smile. It resonated with something deep inside of him, called to him.

"I was just thinking of what my mother is going to say when I tell her. How in the world am I going to explain that I am moving in with my dead boyfriend's brother?" She laughed in a self-mocking way and shook her head. He narrowed his eyes but saw what she was saying, it would seem a little, well, sluttish, but people could think what they wanted, it had nothing to do with that. At least, that's what he kept saying to himself.

She crossed the cold kitchen floor and picked up the telephone to call her mother. The plush rug in this room was very soft and squishy beneath her toes. She quickly picked up the portable and sat back down at the kitchen table, dialing her number. The phone picked up on the first ring.

"Kagome! Where are you? I was so worried about you!" Her mother's words were loud and angry. The profound silence at the other end left her feeling inadequate and she decided it would be better to explain it in person.

"I'm sorry mom. Some things happened, I have a lot to tell you. But I don't want to say it on the telephone. Hold on a second." She covered the mouthpiece and lifted her gaze to the silver-haired man.

"Would it be a problem if my mother came here so I can tell her in person? And maybe, you could help me?" Her voice pleaded for something else, but he fought with his brain on that point and remained impassive.

"Feel free." She flashed a smile before uncovering the mouthpiece and giving her mother directions on how to get here, asking that she bring a shirt and pair of jeans with her. Sesshoumaru marveled at how easily her mother complied with it, trusting Kagome to explain and be true. She hung up the phone after deciding to expect her mother there within twenty minutes. She turned to him with a slight smile and ruefully shook her head.

"My mother is one in a million." She sighed and met his eyes. "Just out of curiosity, where is my robe?" He had to smirk at that and went into the laundry room, returning with a clean white terry-cloth robe. It was the only nice thing she had. He handed it to her and she took it, thanking him for washing it. He did not reply but instead headed for the living room, sitting in his favorite chair. Kagome came up just as he was turning on the TV and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table. She curled up and they watched the news, waiting for Kagome's mother. A little while later there was an unsure knock at the door and Kagome nearly jumped out of the chair to get it. She opened the door and let her mother in, taking the bag and running to the spare bedroom to change her clothes. Sesshoumaru watched as the woman studied his house. She wandered into the living room and looked around before walking directly to him and holding out a hand.

"My name is Atsuko Takahashi. Your Sesshoumaru?" He nodded and took her hand lightly in his strong grip. She stepped back and studied him now, making him feel like squirming, which was something he did NOT do. Kagome returned, looking happier now and sat on the chair she was in before. She had on hip-hugger jeans and a t-shirt that was sky blue. The Shikon was tucked into her shirt, out of view. Her mother sat opposite both of them on the couch and looked from one to the other.

"I'd really like to know why you're here, why your hand is wrapped up, and why you didn't call me, please." Kagome gave her a tight smile before taking a deep breath.

"Mom, do you remember the bruise I had from falling off a bike about a month ago?" Her mother nodded patiently. "It wasn't from that. A man, his name is Naraku, he did it." Kagome closed her eyes and her mother's eyes clouded with worry, but she stayed silent. "Grandfather made me the keeper of the jewel, and this Naraku lunatic wants it. He... hit me, and then he..." her throat closed up and she couldn't continue for a moment. Her mother's eyes widened in understanding and she stood, taking swift strides to envelope her daughter in a hug. Kagome just concentrated on breathing until she was okay and pulled out of her mothers embrace, bringing her back over to sit. She returned to her own chair and thought before speaking, making each word come out slow and deliberate.

"Naraku has, molested, me many times. He found out about my and Inuyasha's relationship and told me to stop seeing him. I did not and he killed Inuyasha, mom. It was no accident, Sesshoumaru was on the phone with him when it happened." She looked to Sesshoumaru to fill in the details and he directed his gaze to her stricken mother. He sighed and took a breath.

"He had called me to see about helping Kagome. I heard him say someone pushed him off the road, and heard them talking. A gunshot went off and then he picked up the cell phone and talked directly to me. He said it was the end, or just the beginning." Slowly this information sank home in Mrs. Higurashi's mind and she quivered.

"Last night I was paid a visit by Naraku." Her mother looked shocked and put her hand over her heart. "He had a knife this time, and cut me here," She pulled back her shirt to reveal the slit on her neck, "And here." She held out her bandaged hand and started to undo it. The bandage fell away to reveal her brutalized hand and Atsuko gasped aloud, her fist clenched. Sesshoumaru rose and went to get material to redress her hand with. He made her wash it off again and put more of the salve on it, Mrs. Higurashi watching helplessly from the sidelines. Kagome thanked Sesshoumaru and they went silent for a moment. Finally Kagome spoke again.

"I must have been delirious, and I came here because it was the first place I thought of."

Sesshoumaru felt his heart clench. He was the first one she thought of. He didn't know why it got to him, but it did, as much as he denied it.

"I didn't even think to call you, I'm sorry. But Sesshoumaru took care of me and let me sleep in the extra bedroom. I came here in my robe." Everything connected in Atsuko's mind and she nodded at her daughter. There was something else though...

"Mom?" She knew it. Kagome didn't wait for her to answer. "You have to go into the Witness Protection Program for a while, you and Souta. Sesshoumaru is a detective and is on this case, he is going to catch that bastard. But I can't take the chance of you getting hurt in the meantime. What if he were to after either of you? I would blame myself if something happened to you or Souta." Her mother smiled sadly and nodded in understanding.

"Okay, Kagome. We will get into it, because it sounds like this guy is a lunatic and will stop at nothing. If it will help catch him and help you, we will do it. But what are you going to do?" Now Kagome hesitated. This would look bad no matter how it was smoothed over. But it could be necessary to catching Naraku.

"I will stay with Sesshoumaru in hopes of drawing him here. It will keep you safe and me protected also. Sesshoumaru is a very proper gentleman and not the type to... do anything. This is how it has to be." Kagome finished. Her mother looked ready to object but instead shut her mouth and searched Kagome's face for weakness. Her daughter's determined look threw her and she realized her little girl had the right to make this decision. She was, after all, 18 three months ago. She rose and walked over and stood in front of Sesshoumaru, scrutinizing his face. He was too cold and uncaring for her taste, but if it was necessary, it may be better. She studied him closely, making Kagome nervous. Finally she smiled and laid a hand lightly on Sesshoumaru's.

"If it's necessary... But I hope you two realize the consequences of this? What people will think?" Sesshoumaru nodded and Kagome just stood there, waiting. "You had better make sure nothing happens to her." She said, tears rolling down her face. She patted his hand and headed for the door, checking over her shoulder to make sure Kagome was following. She turned in the doorway and looked back at Sesshoumaru, who had gotten up and followed them to politely escort them out.

"Take good care of her, won't you?" He nodded and she smiled again through tears before heading toward the car. Kagome lingered a moment. Finally she said what was on her mind.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I'll be back in a few hours. Then with your help we can work out the details of the WPP?" He looked disinterested and nodded.

"I'll be here, but I have to check a few things at work later, so not before 2." He turned and shut the door on her, making her shake her head. This was going to be difficult, that was for sure.

AN: well, and there is that chappie. I got pretty dark in that one, huh? But I think I made up for it with future events. He he, Sesshy and Kagome living together, heh. Could be fun, but I'm not saying nothing. Please review and tell me how I am doing. I, for once, think my writing came out pretty well. Usually it doesn't, but this chapter is okay.

There will be more bad parts in this story, but I have to let up here and there, it will have good parts. I hope you like it.

RyuuAngel

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MOMENT:

IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS; THROW THEM AT PEOPLE!!!


	5. Drive

AN: HI! New chappie! Have fun reading!!

Chapter 4: Drive

Kagome took her time packing, slowly going over everything in her room. She had had to clean the blood first, and fix her computer chair, which had been wrecked from Naraku's assault. It made her heart constrict and fill with anger when she saw all of it, her computer screen flashing; it had an automated shut down that activated after four hours. So now she had to rewrite almost her whole essay. She had forgotten to ask Sesshoumaru if he had a computer she could use, then remember she had seen one in a room that came off of the living room.

She gathered her ripped and bloodied clothes form the floor and threw them away, angry with that jackass. Those were her favorite pajamas. Damn him. She righted the computer chair and pushed the button to turn the screen off. It blanked and she sighed, staring at it for a moment. Then she turned and straightened the bed carefully, thought there was little to do. She had not used it, only for little things, like sitting on it for a moment had messed it up a little. She had already scrubbed the blood from her floor, though in some places it was still stained.

There was nothing else to do to straighten her room, so she pulled out a large duffel bag and began to sort through her meager wardrobe. She brought her three pajama sets and all of her underwear. Her three favorite jeans would go, plus a pair of loose and comfortable rain pants with multiple pockets. They were insulated and very comfortable. She put all of her skanky shirts aside, since she only wore them at home, and took all of her 4 t-shirts. She also packed a white collared shirt that unzipped part of the way down. It could be worn conservatively, mostly zipped, or provocatively, unzipped and showing her cleavage. She usually kept it zipped a little, just enough to not be provocative. She packed it; careful to keep the collar folded right and proceeded with her other packing. She took her nicest skirt, just in case, and a dress to wear on a warm day to school, or wherever. It was a white cotton dress, short-sleeved, coming down to swirl around her ankles. It came down low on her back, and ended in a V in the front. It was comfortably tight to her body and became looser from her hips down. She steeled herself at last second and packed her favorite black spaghetti strap that stayed tight to her and showed just an inch of her stomach.

After she had finished packing her sweatshirts and some jewelry, she went to find her makeup. She got it out of the bathroom cabinet and applied some the best she could to cover her bruises. A thin line of black went beneath and above her eyes, and she applied a little lip-gloss to her full lips. Satisfied, she packed that too and then a few little things she would need, tampons and toothpaste being examples. She had just finished her period, but sometimes it was very irregular and had once been only two weeks apart. She grabbed her own, personal bottle of aspirin, and other little necessities, including her toothbrush. She would have to talk Sesshoumaru into getting her some shampoo and conditioner, to keep from using his. She finished with that stuff and sat in her computer chair, feeling a tilt a little too much under her weight, still slightly messed up. Looking at her ramshackle desk, she saw a book she had not finished and picked it up. _Lady Moonlight_ was a book of fantasy and romance. She turned over to the back and read the summary for the hundredth time.

"_County Sligo, Ireland, 1899. A desperate and beautiful young woman makes a dangerous pact with a sly leprechaun—and finds herself under a spell that threatens her very freedom... and her only chance for true love."_

Kagome sighed, rereading that passage before going on. There was no such thing as true love, was there? It was just part of fairytales. She read on.

"Aisling Ahearn's hand in marriage had been promised away to forgive her fathers debts. But Aisling had always wanted to marry for true love—and took a terrible risk, trusting a leprechaun's magic to save her. Now, trapped in the faery world, suspended in eternal youth, the only way Aisling can escape is to fall in love with a mortal within one hundred years. Unfortunately, mortals only see her as a white mare—except when she appears under the light of the full moon.

It seems hopeless-until she meets Conlan Sloan, a bitter but passionate young man who awakens her faith in love. Their midnight romance is fleeting—Conlan's time in Ireland is all too brief. When he finally returns to Aisling, it is 1999, with only two moons left to win Conlan's love forever..."

She flipped through the pages and found where she was, almost at the very beginning. She didn't know why she had been putting this book off, she really liked the sound of it, but she just hadn't taken the time to read it. She had just finished the first part and was now starting book two. She laughed at the first paragraph of the chapter, Sloan explaining how he was going to drown his sorrows.

'Clutching the neck of a nearly full bottle of Gramp's best Irish Whiskey, Middleton Very Rare, Conlan Ambros O'Hara Sloan set out across the moonlit field to celebrate the worst day of the worst summer in his sixteen years in a very appropriate way. He was going to get stinking, roaring, falling down, forget-his-own-name drunk.'

Little sputters of giggles erupted from her throat as she read that, then she laughed outright and packed the book carefully into her already bulging bag. There were some very funny parts to that story, though most of the time they were hidden and not funny to the people who were in the story. The author, Kate Freiman, was very good at keeping each character acting the same throughout the story. Aisling had an accent that was very neat to read, and Conlan a bluntness and unsureness that made him very funny at times. She sighed and went back to packing. Or at least, that was what she was going to do, but she found there really wasn't much else to pack. She took a few more books, including a new one she had just gotten, called _Seabiscuit_ by Laura Hillenbrand. She had seen the movie, but wanted to see if the book was much better than the movie like it happened with most. For instance, she had the whole Harry Potter series, and the first two movies differed in large and small ways from the book, and made the movies not anywhere near as good.

She turned and her eyes searched around her room, trying to find something else she would need. Finally she spied her portable CD player and her CD's and decided that would go. She tucked that away in her bag and checked one last time for any missed items. Finally satisfied she had all of the things she might really want or need she stuffed all of her notebooks and schoolbooks into her school bag and brought them all downstairs. Her mother was still in her room packing everything she would need, so Kagome set her things by the front door and fished in the refrigerator since it was 11:30 and she was starved. She made herself a sandwich and went into her mother's room, leaning against the doorframe. She still felt tired from all of the blood she had lost.

"Mom?" She projected her voice softly across the room so she wouldn't startle her mother. Atsuko turned around and smiled gently at her daughter.

"Mom, don't pack the important stuff yet, I still have to work out the details of it with Sesshoumaru, okay? Your probably wont go until tomorrow." Her mother nodded and finished packing her clothes. She snapped her suitcase shut and placed it out of the way on the floor, turning to face Kagome.

"Why don't you stay one last night here? I don't see any real harm in it." Kagome frowned and shook her head.

"No mom, I don't want him to come after you. If he hurt you guys because I let myself stay here..." She breathed in deep. "No, I dare not. Sesshoumaru will take good care of me, don't worry." Kagome said this with as much conviction as she could, but she could already feel the tendrils of dread steal through her. She would be staying with that cold man, alone, sleeping in the room next to him. It scared the hell out of her, she didn't really know what he might do, but it didn't matter, as long as her family was safe.

Her mother came close and touched her cheek lightly, smiling reassuringly. "I'm sure he will. I just wanted to spend one last night with my daughter before I am separated from her for some indefinite amount of time." She rubbed her thumb against Kagome's cheek. "But if you insist, I will let you go to make you happy. I know you will feel better if you think you are protecting us." Kagome nodded and smiled back at her mother, who finally turned and headed out to the kitchen. Kagome followed her and looked at the clock, still only 11:55. She had to wait a whole, long, two hours before she could even think about going up there. She may be afraid of what he would do, but the waiting was so much worse. She sat in a chair and drummed her fingers on the table. She caught herself and stopped with a huge force of will. She watched her mother bustle around the kitchen, making some simple delicious desert for them. Her foot started to tap the floor and she stopped it, and checked the clock again. 11:59. This was torture!!!! She watched with a detached awareness as her mother made the batter for cupcakes and put it in the oven. She came out of it when something silver flew at her and she caught it out of reflex, looking to see car keys jangling in her hand.

"Why don't you go and get your brother, rather than drive me nuts? By the time you get back from Satoru's house, the cupcakes will be almost done." Kagome smiled at her mother and dashed out to the car, her mother's voice following behind her.

"And be careful, okay! Don't beat on that poor old car! Mind the speed limit, especially when you have Souta in the car!" Kagome grinned and opened the car door, revving the engine, Her mother had done just the right thing, she loved to drive. Atsuko appeared in the doorway and waved her off, smiling as Kagome yelled an "OK!" to her. She pulled out of the driveway and roared off, her mother shaking her head.

Kagome hummed to the sound of the loud music thrumming in her ears, rocking the car. Her Linkin Park CD was in and she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to it. From The Inside was one of her favorite songs by them, and she sang the words out loud. She rolled down the window and allowed the wind to ruffle her hair, feeling good on this abnormally warm day in April. The speed on the highway thrilled her and she shifted and put her blinker on to go around the tractor-trailer in front of her. She reveled in the speed; she was going 80, now 85. Not really all that fast, but this car was a piece of shit and she didn't want it to die on her.

After she passed the vehicle, she slowed a little and pulled back into the right hand lane. The exit she wanted was after the next one, so she didn't bother to pass the next car she caught up to. It was going 65 anyway; so she just waited until her exit and put her blinker on to go that way, shifting down to stop at the light at the bottom. Numb by Linkin Park came on the CD player and she yelled the words, making people stop and stare as she drove by. She laughed when a guy whistled at her and she flipped him off, feeling free, for some reason. She saw a hott guy walking on the street and had the urge to do something.

"Ow-ow-OW!" She yelled out the window. The guy looked at her and blushed before ducking his head and walking again. She grinned and turned down the street Souta was on. She had to contain herself now; Souta would tell if she did anything... 'stupid'. She pulled into the driveway and beeped the horn to tell him she was there. He came out with his bags and smiled a greeting at her before putting them in the back and getting in the passenger side. He put his hand over his ear when Crawling blasted over the CD player and she apologetically turned it down a little. He grinned at her.

"You weren't driving crazy again were you Sis?" She pretended to look shocked and slapped his shoulder gently. He gave her a face and pouted. They both broke into grins and she accelerated onto the highway onramp and onto the highway. He gripped the seat and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Souta, I'm not even doing the speed limit, see?" He leaned over and saw that the speedometer read 50 and nodded, still looking nervous. She sighed and remembered what she was going to have to do when she got back. She looked at the illuminated clock on the dashboard. It was now 12:30. Since she had to drive slower on the way home, she would be home a little after 1. About quarter after. Then she remembered that she was leaving, and she aught to explain to Souta. She glanced his way.

"Souta, I have something very important to tell you, and I want you to listen carefully okay?"

Sesshoumaru had the Witness Protection problem all solved; Kagome's family would go as soon as possible. He just had to finish a few things before he showed up at his house to meet her. Hm, maybe he wouldn't. An idea formed its way into his brain and took hold, infesting itself. He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was now about 1:30. He shuffled the rest of the papers together and put them away, deciding to do it. He grabbed the forms he needed for Kagome's mother and his coat, leaving it off in the heat. He started to his coveted car and got in quickly, figuring it would take 15 minutes to get there, normally. Today, probably 10 minutes.

Souta got out of the car, thoroughly filled in, though Kagome had smoothed over some things and skipped others. She did not want her little brother to know, for instance, exactly what had happened to her. He had asked if the 'Bad Man' had given Kagome the cuts and bruises, and she replied only some, not wanting him to think she had been that abused. She could tell that his young eyes had not believed her though and she sighed as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. Her good mood had totally dissipated, talking about that was not the best way to stay in a good mood. One thing was for sure; she had to get a job soon, and her own car. She leaned back in, remembering her CD, and then went back into the house with it, glad she had remembered to bring it in. She had left it in the car before, and she loved that CD. This time if she left it, she would not have it for a while, so she packed in into her stuff, sliding in into the case and putting the CD case back in her bag.

When she straightened up her mother was glaring at her and Kagome winced. That was not a good sign.

"What in the world did you tell Souta that stuff for? I could have explained it to him!" Her voice was not loud, but the force of words made up for it. Kagome swelled with indignity.

"Souta is twelve years old and plenty old enough to hear that! He had every right to know. I didn't tell him the details, but I think he guessed just as easily as you did. He's not stupid, Mom, and he deserves more credit than you give him sometimes. He's not a baby anymore." Her voice had become soft near the end, and with it her mother's face. She knew her daughter was right, he was old enough. He probably heard about worse things in school. She sighed and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm just a little stressed and didn't see it the way you did. But your right, he is old enough to know." The room fell into a heavy silence for a moment that was broken by Souta entering the room, singing Pushing Me Away. Kagome smirked and tried not to grin, while Atsuko gave her a dark look. She wasn't supposed to play that dark and depressing stuff around him. Her mother rolled her eyes and grabbed two potholders. She opened the oven door and a delightful aroma filled the room, making Kagome's mouth water. Chocolate cupcakes were placed on the table, and Kagome had to exercise a lot of self-control not to grab them and eat them all.

Souta sat at the table to wait and Kagome followed suit, sitting across from him. Atsuko brought over the bowl of vanilla icing and spread generous amounts on each cupcake, making Kagome go crazy with the smell. Her mother set the bowl on the counter and sat at the table, giving them each a small paper plate. She slid one cupcake slowly out and placed it one Souta's plate, who waited impatiently for Kagome to get hers. Her mother slid hers out and handed it to her. Kagome stared at it and licked her lips, almost unable to wait; finally her mother set hers on her plate and pulled off the paper. Souta and Kagome both grabbed their cupcakes and peeled off the wrapper, taking huge bites of them. MMMmmm's and the sound of three happy people eating was all that was heard over the ticking of the clock and the sound of cars zooming by.

Kagome finally slowed down and enjoyed the taste of it, savoring the rich flavors. She was interrupted from her reverie when there was a sharp knock at the door, making her jump. She quickly got up to get it, thoroughly confused as to who it may be. She slid past her mother and padded in her socks down the hallway, turning to see a face haloed by silver. Golden eyes stared into hers almost reproachfully as she slowly opened the door.

"Sesshoumaru." She breathed. He raised an eyebrow. She swallowed and tried to make her brain work properly.

"Yes, that would be me. Now can I come in, or shall I stand here all day?" Kagome blushed deeply and opened the door a little wider, mumbling a quick sorry. He stepped into their apartment and then followed her into their kitchen. Souta looked at him wide-eyed with chocolate all over his mouth. Her mother stood and ushered him to the table, having him take the available seat, to Kagome's right and across from her mother. Sesshoumaru sat gracefully and accepted one of the precious cupcakes. She sat down at the table and almost flipped her chair. She fixed it and blushed again, going very red under his amused gaze as he peeled the paper off the cupcake. Atsuko gave her daughter a knowing look before making unrelated comments, from the weather to the latest news. Kagome finally collected her wits. When there was a short silence as he finished the confection and she jumped at it.

"So, why are you here Sesshoumaru? You said not to come before 2 because of work, and yet you are here and it's quarter of 2." His eyes bored into hers and she forced herself to return his gaze and not blink.

"I have come to give you mother these papers, which she needs to sign, then tomorrow she and your brother will go into the Program. I also thought I'd collect you on the way back to my house." His cool voice took a moment to flow into her ears and process. She felt shocked at first that he would do that, but why she didn't know, she didn't even know him. For all she knew, he could be really nice guy with a cold exterior. Why was she suddenly judging him?

"I have one other thing that I forgot to pack." She mumbled and grabbed her duffel. She hauled it onto her shouldered and tripped, almost falling. A strong arm caught her and steadied her. She smiled gratefully into golden eyes, blushing once again. She headed up the stairs and into her room. She flung herself onto her bed and wondered why she was acting like that. She shook her head and then saw the rose Inuyasha had given her, sticking out of the book she had put it in to dry and preserve. She pulled it out and smiled sadly at it for many moments. Finally she put it back into the book, _King of The Wind,_ and placed the large book at the bottom of her bag, digging to accomplish this. She held the two flaps together and managed to get them zipped. She hauled it over her shoulder again and this time managed to keep her balance. She exited her room, astonishingly calm and somehow content with something. What, she didn't know. She went down the stairs carefully and stood at the bottom, watching them all as they peered at her.

"Are we going?" She asked in a light voice. Sesshoumaru did not reply but instead stood from his spot at the table and made his way around it. She stepped forward to meet him and her mother stood from the table. She hugged her tight, then Souta, and told them she would see them soon. Souta was pouting at seeing his older sister leave, and waved at her forlornly. She waved back and started for the door, accompanied by Sesshoumaru. She held the door until he grabbed it and squinted into the bright sunlight.

His magnificent car stood in her driveway, flashing in the sunlight. God, she wanted that car. Maybe someday she would talk him into letting her drive it. One look at his impassive face said it would not be today. She sighed and went over to the rear of the car and waited for him to unlock it before opening the trunk and stowing her stuff in there. She was glad he had the top back on this nice day and said so as she got in the car. He did not answer her and she grimaced and shook her head. It was going to be hard to get used to that. She inhaled the scent of fresh leather and smiled, she loved that smell. She settled comfortably into the seat and watched as Sesshoumaru got in next to her and started the beast up. It roared to life and quieted to a low purr. Kagome listened carefully and heard exactly what she expected, perfection.

Sesshoumaru could hardly believe it as he watched her face glow in relaxed contentedness while she smelled the leather of the seats. She seemed to have a far away look when he started it and he realized she was listening to the engine purr. He almost chuckled at her, but instead let out a small sigh and put the car into gear. That seemed to get her out of her daze and he was sorry to see her eyes grow worried and nervous. Her body radiated sadness and longing he decided was to stay with her family. She turned to watch her house as they drove away and he saw her little brother's face plastered against the window and her mother waving sadly from the doorway in his rear-view mirror. He went back to watching the road and cast sidelong glances at her, seeing a single tear roll down her cheek. She made no effort to stop it or wipe it away and he had the urge to do it for her. He stopped himself by gripping the steering wheel tightly and accelerating. Her face registered no surprise, nothing except sadness. He growled out loud this time and shifted up a gear. She darted him a look.

"Your not planning on getting us a ticket, are you? And what's the growling about?" Her voice was distant and seemed unlike this girl. She should be the cheery, happy sort, not the type to keep herself wrapped up and unhappy.

"Stop crying. It's pointless. There's absolutely no need." His voice flowed smoothly and she stiffened and turned angry eyes on him.

"What, am I supposed to be happy that my mother is forced into the Witness Protection Program because I made a mistake? I am supposed to be glad that I am being chased and abused by a maniac who wants a powerful jewel and will probably do terrible things if he gets it?" Her voice got higher and higher as she spoke, ending in a screech. He growled again and gave her a swift and deadly look.

"I only ask that you do not brood, it does not become you. And do not yell in my presence, please. There's absolutely no point in dwelling on what's to happen or what has happened, there is no way of changing it." His voice came out sharper than usual and his cold, hawk eyes pinned her to the spot. But it made her think before she spoke again, and she realized he was right. What was done was done, and there was no way to change it, the only thing she could change or determine was the future. She settled back into the seat and smiled at the side of his face, as he was concentrating on driving.

"Your right, I'm sorry. We just have to do the best we can to catch that asshole, okay?" Her smile undid his anger, rather quickly, and softened his eyes. He felt a nagging feeling tug at him for yelling at her and sighed irritably at it. He saw her once again studying him while he drove, and watching every move he made. He looked ahead and saw the sign to go onto the highway, and then remembered something. He drove past it like he would have anyway and pulled into McDonalds. Where they were going did not require going on the highway, and he wasn't going to, until he got the idea. He abruptly opened the door and got out, catching her unsure and surprised glance. He smirked and went around to her side of the car, watching as she looked up at him through the sun. Her eyes looked slightly frightened and he almost said something to reassure her, but bit his tongue. After many moments her fear almost diminished and he finally spoke.

"You have your license, correct?" She lost all fear at that and was overcome by confusion. What did that have to do with anything?

"My driver's license? Yeah, I do, why?" She shaded her eyes and looked back up at him, his face shadowed with the sun behind him, his silver hair haloed in golden sunlight. She flushed and tried not to show how much his mere presence affected her.

"Well. Crawl over and show me what you know." His voice was emotionless, as usual, but she could detect the slightest amount of kindness and understanding in his demeanor. She grinned at his meaning and slid over, watching him as he climbed into her vacated seat. He raised his eyebrows at her and she flushed again, this time with happiness. She bit her lip, grinning at him, and then turned to look at the car from this point of view. After checking everything out, she put it into gear and rolled quickly out onto the road. He directed her onto the highway and she gladly obliged, too happy to care where they were going. The car handled like she thought it would, shifting smoothly and quickly, with the smallest of sounds. It seemed to read her mind as she flew down the highway in the middle lane.

"Do you mind if I...?" She motioned to the CD player and his CD case. He lifted a hand to tell her to do whatever and she smiled in delight. She found one of her favorites, Evanescence, and put it in. She turned the volume up and pushed play. 'Going Under' boomed out of his Speakers and floated out and around the car. She laughed happily and passed a car going slowly in front of them. She stayed at the speed limit, not sure if he would want her to be speeding in his car. He leaned his elbow against the doorframe and glanced at her, compelling her to look at him.

"Do you plan to get there today, or in a few days?" She smirked and gave him an innocent look.

"You wouldn't be suggesting that I speed, now would you?" She said, in mock concern. He saw it and actually laughed at her playfulness, unable to help it. She grinned at him and shook her head. "Well, if you insist..." She pressed on the gas and shifted, letting off it and pressing it down lightly again. He was surprised at the skill she exercised as she shifted smoothly and passed car after car, going slowly faster and faster. Her face was joyous and she sang the next sang that came on his CD; 'Haunted'. He could not stop the grin that graced his lips when she started singing loudly to it. She gave him a huge smile as she sang and tapped the steering wheel in time to it.

She checked their speed, 85, and then 90. She stayed there and flew past other cars, weaving easily in between car after car. She glanced at him and began to sing, seeing his face break into a small grin.

"Watching me/ Wanting me/ I can feel you pull me down/ Fearing you/ Loving you/ I won't let you pull me down.

Hunting you I can smell you –Alive/ Your heart pounding in my heaad.

Watching me/ Wanting me/ I can feel you pull me down/ Saving me/ Raping me/ Watching me!!!" She drummed her fingers to the song and didn't sing the last verse, just listened to it. He hoped she sang some more, she had such a pretty voice. It was musical and rich, complementing the song and the singer, Amy Lee.

Kagome felt so elated driving that car down the highway with him, teasing and whipping past other people. She avoided a bad driving car and hummed happily to the next song, 'Tourniquet'. She hoped he didn't mind her singing. She just couldn't help it, when she drove, she liked to sing.

A sudden crashing noise and a bang startled her and she glanced in the rear-view to see a cloud of smoke swirling into the sky. Another glance revealed that the car she had avoided had crashed into another car and blew up. She forced her eyes back on the road and slowed down a little, sure there would be cops. She slowed down to 75 and hoped that would do. Sesshoumaru gave her a piercing look and turned back in the seat from his twisted position when he had been trying to see what was behind them. He gave her another odd look before turning back straight and turning down her favorite song just loud enough to still hear it clearly, 'Imaginary'.

"It seems it was a good bit of driving on your part that you avoided that car." His low voice carried easily over the music. She bit her lip and glanced at him in worry.

"What do you mean?" She asked, dreading the answer. He arched an eyebrow at her and stayed silent for many moments.

"I think that car was meant for us." He confirmed what she had been thinking. She glanced at him with big eyes and licked her dry lips.

"That, that's not possible! Naraku wouldn't try to kill me, he doesn't know what the thing he wants is or looks like! He can't kill me until he finds out! If he does, he'll never know." She divided her eyes from between the road and Sesshoumaru. His face held nothing, still was stoic, even now.

"I don't think it was meant to kill us, just warn us. I think he was trying to scare us." His level voice never failed to get on her nerves, not when she was in a state like this. She saw a rest spot and pulled into it, getting out of the car as soon as it was stopped and in park. He did not question her, just watched her struggle quickly out of the car and onto the grass barely 20 feet away, before crumpling down and wrapping her arms around her long legs. He slowly got out and went to her, kneeling next to her. He did not touch her or say anything, just waited. And after many moments his patience was rewarded.

"That's one more person hurt or killed, all because of this stupid jewel, all because of Naraku. How many more innocent people will die at his hands before we can catch him?" Her voice was dull, her face set. Her chin was resting on her knees and he tried not to stare into her hanging shirt. It was loose in the front and left a large gap, which he could easily see into, from this angle. He berated himself and tore his gaze away.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but it will happen whether we sit here and moan about it or not. You have to let come what will come." She turned her blank face to him and just stared up at him for many moments, realizing just how wise his words really were. Finally she stood with his help and started slowly back to the car, getting into the passengers seat.

He said nothing of this, just got into the drivers side and roared out of the resting area, the faint sounds of 'Whisper' playing. He turned it up and got off on the next exit, which was the one to get to his work. She stayed silent the entire time, staring out across the countryside as they drove. When the CD started over he heard the faint sound her singing when 'Bring Me To Life' came on. She smiled as she sang when he glanced at her and stopped.

"Sorry." She murmured. He grunted and she took that as acceptance. But she was wrong.

"Keep singing." He said gruffly, his usually smooth voice different. She darted him a look and began to sing again, not questioning it.

"Frozen inside without your touch without your love

Darling only you are the life among the dead"

She waited for the next part and sang, allowing her voice to rise a few decibels. Maybe he liked her singing. She was glad, everyone always said she sang good, but you could never believe what your mother and your best friends told you, it was often not the truth. They didn't want to hurt your feelings. Just as it ended she felt them come to a stop and snapped to attention, checking out where they were. It was the some type of lab place, what were they doing here? He cut the engine and motioned for her to come with him. She got out of the car and followed him into the tall building, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone else in there.

The receptionist was talking to Sesshoumaru, and handed him something. She was curious what it was but decided to wait until later to ask, now was not the time.

She did not make a noise behind him and he tried not to sigh in annoyance. Finally her got sick of it and placed a hand on her back, feeling her jump and grow tense as he did so. He pulled her up next to him and introduced them, explaining to her that he was checking out the evidence. She answered direct questions only and kept her eyes down, making him worry. This was not how he wanted her to be, she should not be so withdrawn. It seemed so out of character for her. He hoped she got over it soon, though he didn't see how she would until Naraku was captured and either in jail or electrocuted. He slowly removed his hand from her back and watched her shiver. She was so afraid, and something within him called to help her. He bit it back with all of his arrogant pride and paid attention to what he was saying.

"We have to be leaving now. Kagome still has to unpack. I will check again tomorrow." He turned and checked to see if she was following, having the urge to slid his arm around her petite waist as they headed out of the building.

Kagome got in the car and tried to work out what had just happened. When Sesshoumaru had put his hand on her, her immediate reaction was to pull away in fear. She had, out of habit, quelled the feeling and bent to his wishes, coming up and standing next to him. But he did not remove his hand for many moments, and it sent shivers up her spine where it touched. His hand, being near him, all made her breath quicken and something in her tighten. But this wasn't fear; she wasn't sure why she felt it so strongly. His hand slowly going across her back had made her feel tingles, all the way down to the pit of her stomach. She almost wished he would do it again.

She sat in the passenger seat and sent glances his way, peering at him and trying to watch him without his knowing. He caught her as he was turning the CD player back on and she whipped her head back forward, training her eyes on the road. 'My Immortal came on and she allowed herself to sink into the music, feeling it, almost making a tear run down her cheek at the sadness of the song. Her voice flowed richly and filled with anguish or happiness depending on the song. The next song came on, and the next. She brought herself back to the surface when they pulled to a stop once again and looked at the place she would be staying. During her other visit, she hadn't taken the time to look over anything, and now she did so with awe. The building was not huge, but large enough, and an architectural accomplishment. The lawn was cut almost exactly even and the bushes all shaped the same boring size. Behind the house she could see the edge of a pool and then more yard. The pretty dark green grass rolled on for at least 50 feet before ending in tall coniferous trees.

She got out of the car and followed Sesshoumaru to the front door slowly, looking all around. It was beautiful, and she liked it. Everything was clean and perfect. The only thing she didn't like was that it was too perfect. Every bush was the same size; there were no leaves to be seen on the evenly cut grass. A flowerbed had evenly spaced flowers in an order of color, beautiful flowers, but none of the naturalness that made them truly beautiful. She bent to touch a red one lovingly, remembering the rose she had received from Inuyasha. She sighed and stood to see Sesshoumaru watching her with his empty eyes. He turned back to the house and went up the steps, opening the door and letting her in first. If she had to say one thing about him, as cold as he was, he was always gentlemanly. He really was the opposite as his brother in most ways, except his eyes and that long silvery hair, though his was even longer than Inuyasha's had been. And his eyes were so cold and vacant, dead.

She had already had plenty of time to study the inside of the house when she had been waiting for her mother earlier today, it seemed like ages ago. Was it only last night she had been attacked by Naraku?

Sesshoumaru disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with two snack packs, one of which he handed her. She took it and the spoon and opened it care, licking the cover off. She heard him make a noise behind her and turned to look, but he was turning and going into the living room to sit. She did too and finally noticed the stains of blood on the floor that had not come up. She cringed at the sight of them but continued into the living room. She sat on the chair she had that morning, an oversized green recliner. She ate her chocolate pudding slowly, savoring it, she loved chocolate.

Sesshoumaru watched out of the corner of his eye as she licked her spoon and almost groaned again. It was driving him nuts, just watching her lick the spoon. He ate his own quickly and waited for her to finish hers, staring fixedly at the carpet. She finally did and he got up and took her empty container and disposed of both of them, putting the spoons in the empty sink. When he came back she was lifting up the arms of the chair to find little gimmicks under them. The left-hand one had a phone and a message with different settings, and other little features. She closed that and pulled back the right-hand one, revealing an icebox and a cup holder. He tried not chuckle at her wide-eyed exploration and coughed to get her attention.

"Lets get your stuff so you can unpack and settle in. I hope this residence is suitable for you for now." He opened the front door and she got up and went to the car to get her bags, sure now that he was rich. She returned a moment later with her bags and went across the living room and down the hallway, turning at Sesshoumaru's direction to the same room she had woken up in this morning. The bureau in the far corner was dark oak and so were the mirror and bedposts. It was painted a light blue and the thick carpet matched the walls.

"Yes, this will be great. Thank you, Sesshoumaru." He left her to unpack and get used to being there, telling her that he would be in the living room if he was needed.

I think I'll end it there since that is... 11 and a half pages, which is a lot for me. I hope everyone likes this story, please review if you do, don't, or don't have feelings either way. I would really appreciate it. Thank you to anyone who did leave a review. Sorry if you may have asked me to email you and I did not, I have been very pressed to get these chapters out and do it without feeling to pressed. Truly sorry.

RyuuAngel

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MOMENT: WHEN LIFE GETS YOU DOWN: "JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING, SWIMMING, SWIMMING..."


	6. Redemption

Chapter 5: Redemption

Kagome unpacked her meager wardrobe slowly, taking her time putting the stuff where she wanted it. She put all of her shirts in the left-hand drawer, making sure they were folded neatly. Then she went down a drawer and put all of her under-garments in there, bra's on the right, G-strings on the left. Her socks went in between. She'd have to ask him where the washer and dryer were; she'd do her own laundry, she didn't need to impose on him any more than she already did. She then opened the right-hand top drawer and put her pants in there, making sure they were put in so they didn't get any wrinkles in them. She put her one dress and skirt in the drawer below it and frowned. She hated being so poor and having so little.

True, they had always had a roof over their heads, and Mama always made sure they had plenty to eat, but that also meant she was working all hours of the night, and had to give up other things as well. Only necessities were considered, they didn't have anything just to have it. Kagome's clothes spoke of this, the only nice clothes she had were ones given to her from her friends as presents. She admitted, she was better off than some people, but that didn't make her feel any better. She still had to wear clothes that looked like they came out of Salvation Army, and their apartment was known for being cheap and run-down. Their car constantly had problems, and the list went on. She sighed and went back to her bag, taking out the books and putting them on the bottom shelf of the stand next to her bed. She picked up the alarm clock and set it for 5:00 a.m. That was the time she would have to wake up the day after tomorrow, Monday. She groaned. Was it still only Saturday? She set down the alarm clock without turning the alarm on; she wouldn't need to until tomorrow.

She took her portable CD player out and set it on the oak bureau. She smiled when she saw that the clock had a radio on it and turned it on, setting it to a popular station. "Stop-Drop, kaboom. Baby rub on my nipples" Chanted out of the CD player. She smirked and remembered the dance that went with it.

Sesshoumaru was so bored. He was waiting for her to finish unpacking, but what then he didn't know. Perhaps he could show her the pool, but what if she hadn't brought a bathing suit? The thought of her in a bathing suit sent a wave of heat to pool in his loins and he shook the thought from his head. He waited a few more minutes before hearing music come from her room. His ears perked curiously and he got up, moving slowly into the hall and toward her room. He wasn't spying... No of course not. He just wanted to check and see how long unpacking took.

His eyes opened wide when he saw what she was doing in her room. Her door was wide open and she was dancing in the way all teenagers danced, her hands going in the air, her body moving constantly. The chorus of the song came on and she stilled for moment, obviously waiting for it. On the word 'Stop' She held up both hands in front of her as if to tell someone to stop. 'Drop' and she bent over, her feet a little bit part. 'Kaboom' and she ran her hands sensually up her body, straightening slowly. Her hands stopped at her full breasts. 'Baby rub on my nipples.' She laid flat palms over the top of her breasts and rubbed her hands in circles, driving him nuts. He wanted to do that so badly...

He took two steps closer to her, closing the distance significantly. She seemed to finally realize he was there and turned toward him, surprised and fearful. Her wide eyes were locked on his, telling him that she hadn't known he was there.

"I'm... Sor,"

"That was positively indecent." He snarled. Her eyes looked even more frightened as he took another step toward her, looming over her. His eyes were full of fire, not cold like they usually were. He grabbed her arm.

"You..." he shook his head and then came down suddenly, kissing her deeply. She placed her hands on his chest but did not push him away out of habit. She trembled with suppressed fear and tears leaked out of her tightly closed eyes.

Sesshoumaru felt a tear on his cheek and his anger and passion snapped. But his lips would not leave hers. Instead, they became gentle, soothing her bruised lips tenderly. His hand slid around her back, and she stayed stiff, but did not pull away from him. His tongue massaged hers, and he felt her fear start to evaporate. He pulled back and she seemed to be waiting for him to do something. He moved her hair and licked her neck, feeling her shiver. He sucked on the nerves he found there. Suddenly her tension eased and her hips pressed into his, making his pulse go and a flood of heat go through him.

'Stop, drop, kaboom. Baby rub on my nipples..." Could be heard almost as if muffled in his ears.

Her arms hesitantly circled around his neck and he brought their lips back together. This time when he kissed her, she returned it and her tongue waged war with his. Their tongues mated and his won, sliding into her mouth and tantalizing it. His hands slid lower to her round bottom. He grasped it and squeezed gently, making her gasp.

And just as suddenly, he let go, tearing his lips from hers, taking several steps away from her. She tensed, not sure what to think, but his anguished look told more than any words. He stepped further back from her, his eyes down.

"I... apologize." He said before swiftly departing and heading down the hall to his bedroom, shutting the door rather hard. She stood there for many moments, lost. She didn't understand what his problem was, unless she was that bad of a kisser? But he had said sorry, was he sorry for watching her? Sorry for kissing her? Sorry for having to leave? And that look he'd given her... She'd never seen him show any kind of emotion, but then she didn't really know him. But from what she did know, he was totally emotionless. And just now, his face had been so angry, and he looked like it was directed totally at himself.

And that kiss, it has something she had never experienced before! Inuyasha had aroused her, sure, but this had been a whole other ball game! The way he felt against her, his tongue making hers ache for more. The throbbing inside of her had made her want to have him drive into her over and over. She blushed, thinking about it. Was she a slut to be thinking that way? 'Ya know what, I don't care. That was worth it.' She thought. Who cared what other people thought? All She knew was that she'd never felt so... wanting. She wanted him, and badly. But she was only 18, and he was what... 28? Something like that? He couldn't really want her. Maybe it was just the moment that had made him kiss her...

She reached for the alarm clock, fumbling as she attempted to turn the radio off. Finally she succeeded and her thoughts raged in her head, forcing her to sit down on the bed in a dizzy fit.

Sesshoumaru sat in his chair and ground his teeth, trying not to punch anything. God, he wanted her. He would have taken her, but then he remembered; she was a rape victim. She must have been scared to death of him, the way he'd come at her. She was just starting to not be quite so nervous around him, and he'd gone and made her afraid again.

Not that it mattered. No one mattered. Not that girl, not her family, no one. He was only doing all of that so that he could catch Inuyasha's killer and salvage the family name. His name would be printed everywhere and then everything would go back to the way it had been. He'd be the big hero, earning much more publicity and attention than he wanted. Then it would subside and he could live happily alone and do his job. End of story.

But that isn't what he wanted to happen. He wanted that girl; he was going to admit to that. It was staring him in the face. He was weak, and he had to catch Naraku and get rid of this weakness. Once he caught Naraku, she would go home and he would be rid of her, permanently. There was no other choice.

'That's not true. You could see if she really was afraid of you. You could try and win her over.' Shut up! He snarled at the voice. But it would not be silenced.

'You could love her...' It whispered. He banged his fist on the table and swore, his water pitcher shaking and rippling with the force.

"Dammit! I do NOT love her!" He roared. He did not! Did he? But the way he wanted her, just having her in his house made him feel content. He couldn't have fallen in love with her. Not that quickly! He didn't love anyone or anything, it only brought pain with it. Now, there were things he definitely loved about her, her body, her eyes, the way she laughed, the way she felt, how she found simple things like driving so enjoyable. He loved the life in her, her smile...

DAMMIT! How the hell had that happened? How the hell had he fallen for her like this? He didn't fall for ANYONE! He put his head in his hands, trying to think how in the world he had let himself get like this. Well, now he was going to have to get himself out.

Kagome hoped she had this right. She was going to ask him, the worst he could do was yell and tell her to get out of his house, right? Her steps faltered as she went down the hall. But what if she was wrong and made a complete fool of herself? He couldn't like her, not that way. But why in the world would he help her all he had? Why would he have come at her like that, and then kiss her so gently? What else could have made her want him so? Her head spun crazily. She gathered her courage and reached out, about to knock gently on his door.

"Dammit! I do NOT love her!" She heard him roar. She stopped and thought. Was he arguing with himself? But that would imply that he was thinking that he might love her!!! So she was right? He did want her? She stayed her hand for many moments before her courage returned and she knocked tentatively. She heard a bang, and smash, and his voice cursing.

He opened the door suddenly, his eyes once again blazing with anger. This time, no fear rose within her, only certainty. She looked up at him and saw him falter in his anger, his eyes suddenly looking slightly hopeful, like he was fighting it. Then they darkened again and this time remained emotionless, empty.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, remembering the sound of smashing. She looked past him and saw that a water pitcher had smashed and there were glass shards everywhere. "Oh, dear." She wisked back down the hall and came to a closet type room. She experimentally opened the door and saw what she was looking for, a broom and dustpan. She snatched it and then went to the bathroom, grabbing a towel. She went back toward his room, seeing him still framed in the doorway, watching her.

"Shall I?" She asked, holding the dustpan higher. He stepped out of her way and watched as she went over, dropping to her knees and sweeping up the glass. She swept it neatly into the dustpan, and then proceeded to dry the wooden floor with the towel. He finally went over and bent over to take the dustpan, standing and turning. He went out of the room to empty it in the trash and came back without it, having put it away. She finished drying the floor, the desk legs, and the top of his desk, then stood up and faced him.

"Happens." Was all she said before going down the hall and then remembering she didn't know where the dirty laundry went.

"Where do you keep you laundry basket?" She called down the hall, echoing.

"Next to the bathroom." He was standing in the doorway, imperious, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed casually. She smiled at him briefly before trying the door to the right of the bathroom and seeing a washer and dryer. An empty basket caught her eye and she put the wet towel in it, shutting the door behind her and looking over at him. She thought for a moment she saw the trace of a smile on his face, but it disappeared. She started toward him, cautious, not sure how to start this conversation.

'Be cool, be careful, don't make him angry...'

"So, I guess you want me?" She blurted out. His features showed a little surprise before closing up more than ever. She mentally slapped herself. 'Way to go...' She thought sarcastically.

"I am physically attracted to you. I am, after all, male. And you are a young, well-made woman. I cannot help what nature decides." He answered. That wasn't the answer she was looking for. But she supposed, if he couldn't admit it to himself, he certainly wasn't going to go telling her that he gulp loved her. He started to say something else and she cut him off, wanting to get this out before he could stop her or her courage failed.

"And I am to you, a lot, I mean, attracted to you." She blushed at her jumbled reply and looked down. He stood there for many moments and finally she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything." She turned away but felt her arm caught in his strong grip. She whipped her head to look back at him.

"You aren't... afraid of me? After the way I grabbed you?" The grip on her arm relaxed, as if he thought he was scaring her again. Still his eyes showed nothing, as if he was afraid to. And she did not pull away.

"Strangely, no. I mean, I was at first, but now... I'm not. I don't know why, but I'm not." She said simply. She finished turning back around to face him, his hand slipping down her arm but did not totally relinquish its hold. Kagome took a deep breath. She wanted him to admit it. She would question him until hen gave her some kind of answer that indicated either way.

"And all you feel for me is physical?" She saw that there seemed to be a fight going on behind his mask of indifference and that the truth finally won.

"No." Was all he would tell her. That was all she needed to know, that and how she felt. From what she had heard behind his door, and how he was acting, she could tell. As for herself, that was more complicated. She felt it was wrong, what with him being Inuyasha's brother, but not so much as before. It seemed as if that wasn't as important, like he said, you couldn't change the past, and Inuyasha wasn't coming back. Besides, didn't her lack of fear say anything? The way she felt around him? And how she wanted nothing more than for him to take her right now? But what if she was just getting over her fear of men? Of people? But she had still been nervous going into that building with all those people, but not of him.

Suddenly it just didn't matter, any of it.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, surprising him. His hands hesitantly rested on her hips, and he slowly returned the kiss. It built and built, becoming frenzied. Finally they both broke off, gasping for much needed air. Sesshoumaru caught his breath first.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asked carefully. She seemed at a loss for words for a moment and his heart dropped. Finally she opened her mouth and answered.

"Yes, I am." His heart swooped back up and pounded in his throat. He groaned and captured her lips with his again. He lifted her up higher and pulled her thrush with his body, his arousal pushing against her lower stomach. His hands slipped up under her shirt in the back and unhooked her bra, sliding it down her shoulders under her loose shirt. The straps hung uselessly on her upper arms, peeking from under her t-shirt. She clung to him and wrapped her legs around him, leaving his hands free to roam. They slid under her shirt and his right hand stopped on her ribs while the left kept traveling. It slid up and over her mound, brushing the peak and making her moan. Their kiss was frenzied, intense, both of them floating in the heat and hunger.

Kagome pulled her lips away. "Please," She breathed. He caught her lips back to mate with his tongue, stepping backwards into the room. He shut the door with his foot and then made his way blindly to the bed, finally breaking for air. He grasped her hips and lifted her over to the bed, setting her down and letting her fall back. He followed and laid his body on hers, gently. Her hips bucked into his and he groaned, fighting back the urge to rip off her clothes and drive into her hard and fast. Their lips cemented together again, tasting and feeding. His hands were all over her, making her body shiver uncontrollably. She left his mouth and took his sensitive earlobe in her mouth, sucking gently. He just about growled and she immediately let go, startled. He grinned.

"Do it again, please." He groaned. She smiled and slowly complied with his request, teasing his earlobe with her tongue as she did it. He growled again and she tried not to giggle. After a minute he pulled back and gazed at her amused face.

"Think it's funny, do you?" He mocked. She shook her head but the smile was painted onto her face. "Fine, your turn." Suddenly his hands were on her stomach and then undoing her pants. Her mind seemed to have stopped working, she did nothing but lay there as he slipped off her jeans and then her underwear. When his hands ran down her naked bottom half she sucked in a breath. He heard her.

"What was that?" he asked innocently. She glared at him and he chuckled lustfully. His hands slid down to a place that she herself did not touch often and then searched through her folds. She unconsciously bucked her hips when his fingers brushed the bundle of nerves there. He stroked again, and again, bringing her to octave after octave of pleasure. Something warm clenched and tied up her stomach, but in a pleasant way. When his fingers quickened it burst in a shower of sparks and left her feeling dazed and breathless. She finally realized he was licking the inside of her, lapping up what she had released. It was a wonderful feeling, warm. But still not quite enough. He pulled himself up next to her and stared into her eyes, waiting for her to come back down to earth completely. He kissed her gently, his own sex throbbing with need. It jumped eagerly when she moved against him and he stood to undress. She watched him and stared, making him feel for the very first time a little bit self-conscious.

"Oh my god." She whispered when he finished. He said nothing, waiting for her response. And it came. "Sesshoumaru, you are... perfect." She finished. He almost flushed and took a step closer to her. With her help he pulled off her t-shirt and bra, standing back to take a good look. Even with her innocence, her nervousness, she was strikingly beautiful. Perhaps it was her beauty was heightened even more by her naivety. He sucked in a breath and then lay down next to her, kissing her tenderly. She returned it, her taste rich, her body next to his delightful. He reached down to her thighs and parted them gently, careful to remember her past experiences.

It would not have made a difference. She neither thought of Naraku, nor the tormenting fear that usually hung over her. It had drifted away like wispy clouds, not able to stand the bright sunlight. She parted her legs eagerly, ready for what would come next. He hovered over her, kissing her forehead, whispering.

"I love you." He said. She barely heard him. She tried to think, what was she supposed to say? But then she couldn't concentrate, for something as large as a baseball bat was pushing its way into her, stretching her. It stung a little, he was huge. He pulled back a little and pushed in again, easier this time because of her natural lubrication. He slid into her further, making new sensations come from within her. He moved faster, coming out and thrusting back in, the friction of flesh driving them both over the edge. All control evaporated, thought was gone. All they knew was reaching, scorching, trying to get higher and higher. New peaks were met, conquered, and then left for another new peak. It rolled over and over, finally shaking to a stop with a burst, both releasing simultaneously. It shook them, almost painful in its intensity. Her muscles slowly relaxed around him as he shrank back down to regular size, both of them laying covered in a fine sweat, trying to recover their breaths.

Sesshoumaru finally pulled out of her and rolled over, pulling her up to his chest possessively. Her whisper caught him off-guard.

"I love you too." She said in a small voice. This fought its way through his fog-laden mind, but her quiet breaths bespoke sleep. He relaxed and tried to understand everything that had just happened, but was almost immediately asleep.

The dreams were never that realistic or explicit. Usually all he remembered was the feeling of it, or a place, or something insignificant that happened. But this time...

He could still feel the tingles from where her lips had touched him. Her body straining against his, her sweat mingled with his. Her hair brushing his arm, the heat of her body pressed against him in sleep.

His eyes shot open. In his arms was the sweet little thing he thought was a dream, sleeping peacefully. A smile broke across his face, tugging insistently on the corner of his mouth. A grin of joy. She stirred, somehow knowing he was awake, opening her eyes. Her lashes fluttered a few times, but the smile on her face did not recede when she recognized him through sleep filled eyes. Softly, she smiled at him, lovingly. She stroked the side of his face gently; making him shut his eyes in bliss. She was here, with him, he was holding her to him. He let out a breath and opened his eyes, gazing down on her.

"Should we get up? Don't we have to do... something? Like enter my mother and Souta in the WP program?" She suggested tentatively. He groaned.

"Do we have to?" His voice was unwavering, merely sarcastic, but she didn't mind. It was a real improvement from nothing at all. He kissed her forehead tenderly. "Alright, but we need a shower." He hinted. Her eyebrows shot straight up. Then she grinned, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, but I want to go skinny-dipping first." She announced. He looked amused and shook his head, but then stopped to think.

"I suppose we have enough time as long as we only swim for a few minutes or so. The indoor pool won't be as fun as the outdoor is in the summer, but it will still be worth it." She grinned and then stood up, stark naked. She blushed at the way his eyes clung to her, drinking in her form. He blinked and got up rapidly, forcing himself to stop gawking at her.

"This way." He walked out of the room without putting anything on and she hesitantly followed, not sure about walking around an unfamiliar house naked. He went into the bathroom and came out with two towels, handing one to her. She took and it and looked up into his eyes, finding him staring at her, unmoving. She bit her lip, blushing hotly, noticing that his undressed body was very close to hers. And very hot, she could feel the heat rolling off of him in waves.

"The pool?" She prompted gently. He grunted and tore his gaze away, going into the kitchen. She once again followed him, this time surely. He slid in between the counter and the fridge and then took a door she hadn't noticed before, to the left of the sink. It opened out to a huge high-ceilinged room with one of the largest indoor in-ground pools she had ever seen. She clutched her towel to her and stepped into it, Sesshoumaru shutting the door behind her. He walked to the edge of the pool and the dived in with obvious skill. She stood nervously at the edge, biting her lip again. She nodded and sat down, sliding into the water gently, surprised at how warm it was. Her feet never hit bottom and she treaded water immediately to keep from sinking. Suddenly a bunch of water splattered in her face she gasped and sputtered. When she opened her eyes she saw Sesshoumaru giving her a lethal smirk. She glared.

"I'll get you for that." She spat mockingly. He raised his eyebrows.

"You don't seem to do much except threaten." He countered. She smiled and went underwater, deep under. She swam straight up from underneath him and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. She let go when he ripped it out of her grasp and came up next to him, gasping for breath. It was his turn to sputter this time and he glared at her, but she could tell he wasn't really angry.

"I warned you." She giggled. He shook his head.

"Your quite ignorant to stay here after such an act." Her eyes widened and she dived under the water, swimming off like a fish. He was surprised at her speed and then went after her, catching her when she had had enough running. He grabbed her waist and kicked his feet to keep from going under. She put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him briefly, catching him off-guard once again. She slipped out of his arms suddenly, swimming to the edge of the pool and hoisting herself out.

"I think we are late." She said, sitting on the edge while he swam closer. She got up and he pushed himself out, climbing out gracefully. She was already drying herself with her towel and waiting for him when he looked up. He grabbed his own towel and wrapped it around his waist, watching as she did the same, smiling at him shyly. He forced himself to keep from grabbing her and throwing her down on the wet floor. Instead he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her from the pool, going back into the kitchen and then to his room. He smiled at her seductively, realizing he still had two hours. He turned her to him and kissed her, feeling her respond immediately. He pulled back and whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"Now for that Shower." He said, his voice full of innuendo.

The wind whipped through her hair, drying it quicker than a blow dryer could. She rested back in the leather seats, enjoying another unusually warm day in April. Her sunglasses kept the warm sun out of her eyes, her hair did not obstruct her vision too badly either. They were going down I-97, headed to Kagome's house to pick the forms her mother had filled out and bring her to the police department where they would put her and Souta into the program. Kagome sighed and smiled, feeling free and happy. Her arm hung out of the window of the Eon R-2. She swore to god that she would have this car, god how she wanted it. Sesshoumaru shifted up and passed an old couple barely doing the speed limit. Immediately her heart soared and she smiled again, feeling so happy.

The cause of her happiness? Hmm, maybe from the thought of her mother and brother soon being safe. Maybe it was because they were sure to catch Naraku soon. Maybe it had nothing to do with any of that. She peered at Sesshoumaru and a smile tugged at her mouth, her heart bursting. Nope, it definitely was the man sitting next to her, glancing at her every once in a while. Once he had even offered her a small smile, making butterflies go in her stomach.

She reached over and turned Evanescence back on, skipping to number seven. Imaginary was her favorite. She sang her best, putting all of herself in the song, knowing that he liked it when she sang. Sure enough, a small smile graced his lips and he stared at the road even less. She smiled as she sang, singing the next song, Taking Over Me. He smirked at this one and she wondered why, intrigued by his thoughts. She stopped singing.

"What?" She asked, looking at him curiously. His smile disappeared and he kept his gaze on the road, making her feel edgy. He finally looked at her.

"Sing." He ordered. She shot her eyebrows up and looked at him like he was nuts.

"Are you ordering me?" She asked, her voice dead serious. He cringed at the anger in her voice and his look softened.

"Please." He added. She sank back down into her seat, deflating. Her voice picked up the song strongly, singing like only she could.

Kagome sang all the way through the CD almost, stopping when her throat got dry. Suddenly she realized she was on her street and then her house came into view, her heart reacting with a little twinge of nostalgia. She was surprised it wasn't stronger, this had been her home for 18 years of her life, and she didn't know when she was going back to it. She smiled softly, thinking that wherever she was happy was home, and that was with Sesshoumaru.

He caught her smile out of the corner of his eye and said nothing, contemplating it.

"We're here." He said as he pulled into the driveway, stopping and turning off the engine. Kagome was already out of the car and up her steps, taking off her sunglasses, grinning. She pushed them back on her head, raising her hand to knock on her door before laughing and just going in. This was her house, why would she knock? She burst inside and into the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm here! Where are.. MOM!" Kagome said the last in disbelief. Her mother was tied to a kitchen chair, which looked to be glued firmly to the floor, gobs of it running up the legs and squished out from under the bottom of the legs, having dried that way. Kagome rushed over to her mother, whose eyes were glazed and tired, but still frantic. She had on a gag, her hands tied behind her, her feet tied to the legs. Kagome carefully went to work undoing the gag, picking at it desperately with her fingernails.

"Sesshoumaru!" She called her voice high and scared. He came into the house hardly a second later, momentarily startled by the site he saw. Kagome pulling at the gag around her mother's face, Atsuko tied firmly to the chair, the kitchen a mess, blood stains on the floor, shattered glass. He growled and rushed over, flicking out his pocketknife. He swiftly and carefully cut off the gag and then went to work on her bonds, sawing at them.

"NO! There's no time! Don't worry about me! They've got, they've got..." She sobbed and Kagome hugged her, shushing her gently.

"Its okay mom. We're here now." Kagome said gently. Sesshoumaru freed her hands and she pushed her daughter back, clenching her shoulders in her strong grip, staring into her eyes.

"You must listen! He's got Souta! He said to tell you that Souta would suffer worse than he already has if you don't give him what he wants! Kagome, your brother isn't worth any sort of thing that horrible bastard wants! Dammit, give it to him!" Kagome stood back from her mother, her face shocked. Sesshoumaru cut one leg loose, then the other, quickly. Kagome dropped her head, a tear slipping out of her eye.

"Its all my fault. I should never have left you guys alone. I have it, and he's going to hurt Souta, oh god." She breathed in deep and faced her mother, who looked thoroughly perplexed.

"What is so important to him, Kagome? Why does he want it so bad?" She fired at her daughter, not quite able to forgive her yet for putting Souta in danger, for not giving up whatever it was.

Kagome just stood there, looking and feeling lost. What was she to say? That she had put a jewel's safety over her own brothers? She sat down quickly, but felt a burning on her collarbone. She flinched and pulled out the Shikon No Tama, holding it away from her skin. She was surprised to see it glowing pink, almost purple, filling the room with the glow. Her mother caught her breath. Suddenly it flashed and left them all blind for a moment, glowing so brightly they could hardly keep their eyes open. When the glow subsided the room was clean, everything organized and fixed. All the stuff that had been broken was repaired. The blood on the floor was gone.

"This is what Naraku wants." She whispered just loud enough for her mother and Sesshoumaru to hear. She was just as surprised as everyone else to see it do something like that. She touched it and felt it pulse warmly, right into her fingers. A tingling sensation went through her hands and she let go in surprise. She grasped it firmly and the tingling was much more intense this time, filling her whole body eventually. It wasn't painful, just warm tingles, pleasant powerful waves going through her. The glow around the jewel faded completely and the feelings stopped. Kagome opened her eyes and noticed her skin was glowing, but it too receded.

Sesshoumaru sat completely stunned, watching his physical world fall apart. All he thought was true, all the scientific facts disproving magic, all a lie. With his own eyes he had seen first-hand magic stronger than he would have imagined. The rope burns on Atsuko were gone, Kagome's hand was healed, and actually all of her visible bruises and cuts were gone. He was almost too awed and stunned to speak or comprehend what Kagome was saying.

"This is the Shikon No Tama, fabled to have powers strong enough to make anyone natural power ten times what it is. It can also purify in the right hands." She told her mother. "Naraku could kill millions with this jewel, with hardly a finger lifted. I have been keeping it from him ever since Grandpa died; he doesn't know what it is that he wants. All he knows is that it is very powerful and that I have it. I'm sorry for putting Souta's life in danger Mama." She finished; her eyes glazing with unshed tears. Atsuko's eyes softened and she smiled.

"I'm sorry for blaming you honey. You've done nothing but try to protect us. I just am so panicked about Souta..." Her smile faltered and then disappeared. Kagome felt the same surge of panic and turned to Sesshoumaru, looking to him for answers. His face was emotionless, calming but not helping. Finally he took charge. He slipped his pocketknife back into his pocket and tugged the rest of the ropes off of Atsuko.

"We have to get you to the station and report this." He helped Kagome's mother to stand and then she pulled back, wobbly but still okay. They quickly went out to the car and got in, Kagome sliding into the back. Sesshoumaru squealed out of the driveway and onto the road, getting directions from Atsuko in the passenger's seat to the police station in town. They pulled in within minutes and rushed out of the car and into the building. Kagome shied back, her chest tightening, her fear building when she stepped into the crowded, confusing and noisy room. Sesshoumaru noticed first and told her to go and get her mother's bags at the house. She nodded in relief and went back outside, breathing easier as soon as she left the building.

She put her hand over the jewel and felt strength flood her, making her draw up straight and walk purposefully to the car. She got in and started it up, roaring out of the parking lot, heading back to her house to pick up her mother's things for her. She felt her worry slowly recede to a bearable level and concentrated trying to think of something. She hoped Souta was okay, that he was at least still alive.

'Please let him be okay. Please' She thought, whispering it under her breath, chanting it over and over, willing it to be so. She hoped just this once, her wish would come true. It was what she wanted more then anything in the world, her brother's safety. Magic was finicky, and she hoped it would work, just this once.

The jewel of four souls glowed and sang silently in its pure power, lighting up Kagome's hopeful face.

YEAH!! I Love Writing Cliffy's!! I know you hate them... so I'm so sorry about my obsession with them. It Piss's my charas off too.

Riasha: No joke! Every time something good is going to happen...

RyuuAngel: I know. sigh

Please review!!!


	7. Desperation

Chapter 6: Desperation

Sesshoumaru explained for the fourth time who he was and about the case he was on, and the newest complication about the case. He was about to tear the throats out of these imbeciles when he finally got somewhere. The computer finally pulled up his files, explaining who he was and the case he was on. His department head's name was included and the stupid police officer insisted on calling him. When he returned from the phone call he looked grim and apologetic.

"So is it the girl who was being abused that he kidnapped?" Sesshoumaru almost rang the idiot's neck. He had just told him four times that it was her brother that had been kidnapped. He sat forward to do just as he wanted, but Atsuko laid a hand on his shoulder, somehow calming him when it normally would have agitated him.

"No, my daughter is fine. It is my son that he kidnapped." She calmly informed him. Sesshoumaru was impressed. Now that she had gotten over her initial panic, this woman was now as calm as any woman could be in this situation. She stressed her words, but there was no panic in her voice, only a prodding to try to get them to do something.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do except look for anything suspicious and send out reports about the guys profile. You can provide a description of him, can't you?" Sesshoumaru suppressed a growl and carefully controlled his voice. He didn't ask why he was so angry, he just knew that the rapist had once again pulled a quick one on them and momentarily set them back.

"I have not seen him." He turned to Atsuko, who shook her head.

"I did not see him, I was blindfolded from behind and then tied up." She said almost apologetically. But then she brightened. "Kagome knows what he looks like." She implied. Sesshoumaru nodded. The police officer gave them both curious looks. Sesshoumaru once again felt the familiar surge of anger.

"Didn't you read the profile?" He spat out the words, making the guy shrink into himself and quickly flipped through it, finding the name Kagome and stopping to read. He was still reading when Sesshoumaru stood up ten minutes later. The officer looked up.

"Excuse me, but we need to ask a few more questions." He tried to look stern, but failed when Sesshoumaru wheeled to glare at him.

"It will get you nowhere, you incompetent idiots. You are disgustingly wasteful of time. I am going to go and get the girl who can describe Naraku for your artist. I expect that he will be ready for her when we return." His voice was deathly cold and made the hairs on the back of the officer's neck stand up. "Well?" Sesshoumaru snarled. The guy nodded nervously and watched as he went outside.

Sesshoumaru banged the door open, his barely controlled rage boiling his blood. Atsuko followed out behind him, a little nervous about the man her daughter was apparently falling for. Oh yes, she knew, the way her eyes found his, the affection in them, the way he watched her so quietly, and his obvious rage about her abuser. His actions and the things he didn't do spoke of his feelings for her, and vice versa. She watched as he stormed around, a little worried about his violent nature, but decided Kagome could handle herself, and if he had even thought about hurting her she certainly wouldn't act the way she did around him.

Sesshoumaru fumed some more, this time angry with himself. He had forgotten that Kagome had taken his car to get back home. Until she returned, he was stuck there. He stopped pacing and brought his hand to his face, forcing himself to calm and control himself. He took several deep breaths and finally felt his rage lessen slightly. He turned to look at Atsuko, her face thoughtful.

Kagome drove quite fast, much faster than she aught to, but she got home in seven minutes. She hopped out of the car and bounded up the steps, running up to her mother's room. She opened the door and stopped, shocked. Blood was painted across the wall, making her nauseous because of the amount of it. The smell was horrendous. She backed out and took several deep breaths before her stomach stopped churning. She went and got a handkerchief to hold over her nose and stood at the door, gathering her courage. She went in again, but this time the smell was very muted and did not bother her half so much. The blood still made her stomach turn, but she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat.

She turned from the bloodstained wall to find the rest of her mother's room in order, the bed neatly made, everything in its proper place. She went to grab the suitcase but stopped just as she was about to pick it up. 'Lipstick.' The word stuck in her mind like a beacon and heralded in her head. Something was wrong with it, there was something wrong with her mother's room, and it had to do with the lipstick. Kagome didn't know how she knew this, she just did. She turned slowly to the dresser and walked over to it, looking at all the lipsticks, ten at least. She immediately identified the one that was bothering her; it was her mother's favorite. She reached for it hesitantly, touching it carefully.

A flash of light and though hit her so hard she jerked her hand back and was blinded. It faded as soon as her fingers left the lipstick. She had seen a flash of, something. Black hair. And somehow she knew, it was Naraku's hair. Her hand shook as she reached out to it again and grasped it, holding it tightly. She screamed as the light invaded her brain with thoughts and pictures that were mostly not her own. Flashes of memories she didn't have whipped through her mind. Some of them seemed familiar.

Black hair, red eyes, glowing fiercely.

A white house.

Her brother, screaming, but alive, his hand in view, cut across the vein.

A hand guiding a bloody one across her mother's wall, putting blood all over it.

The lipstick container, being painstakingly opened.

Ropes being wound around her mother's legs.

A street sign.

A piece of white clothe being folded.

The lipstick drawing a straight line on the wall, over the blood.

Souta's screaming filled her ears.

The smell of blood permeated her nose.

Pleasant, the word on the sign, being whacked, it swayed back and forth.

Evil laughter.

The lipstick.

Her mother being gagged with white clothe.

Flashing red eyes.

Another long line of red the exact shade of the lipstick, but not on her mother's wall.

Stairs, the smell of smoke.

Her mother's desperate crying.

His eyes.

Being slammed to the floor.

Screaming.

A mirror.

Kagome could not hear her own screams as she dropped the container and collapsed to the floor, crying silent tears. Her chest heaved, her eyes flashed with the memories, but they were not distinct like they had been when she was holding the lipstick. She felt her cheeks and noticed they were wet with her tears, her mouth feeling salty from the ones that had run across her lips. She felt her sobs slowly stop and her breathing return to close to normal.

She shook her head to rid herself of the memories, but it was pointless. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she reached up to the dresser to try and stand. Her knees felt weak; her whole body ached. With a sudden insight as the images again assaulted her, she headed to her room, going up the stairs and into her own room. She flung the door open, knowing what she would see. Her mirror glared back at her, red words obscuring her reflection. She strided purposefully across the room, reading the messy lipstick writing the best she could. At first it didn't make sense.

_WHERE THE FUN BEGAN AT 4:20_

That's all that was written on the mirror. Kagome stood there, confused. 'Where The Fun began at 4:20?' What did that mean? What the hell was he talking about? Her eyes strained to refill, but her desolation was too much for tears, for feeling. She had failed. She didn't know how to find her brother. Naraku had given her a blatant clue, and she didn't know what he was talking about. Dammit!

Her hand found the Shikon for reassurance and it glowed slightly, filling her with quiet power. Hope was restored within her, making her stop and think. If she really concentrated she could figure this out. Now, first she aught to remember all possible meanings of this sentence. Okay, well, 4:20 stood for smoking pot, in school and stuff. There was no other reason she could think of, other than the time, and that just didn't make sense. She blew out a breath, okay, try again. Fun. Fun for him would be to do something terrible to her. 4:20. A sudden flashback from her first time being raped came into mind.

'Kagome was laughing right along with everyone else. They were in her Uncle's old Mansion that he never used, smoking pot, as usual. She was higher than the Eiffel tower and enjoying every moment of it. She took another hit off the bong before passing it to someone else. Suddenly she was alone, cleaning the house out by herself, trying to air it out, for it smelled strongly of smoke. She grinned but had decided that would be the last time she smoked pot, she always had to clean up all by herself. Thank god she was still high. 

_She was thrown to the floor, rolled over, a gun in her face. She blinked up at it confused, not really comprehending in her stoned state. The gun was pulled back and she was pulled up by her hair, making her protest in pain. He yanked her to her feet and dragged her up the stairs, throwing her onto the bed._

"_Who are you?" She screamed. He jumped on the bed over her, his face inches from hers, his knees digging painfully into her stomach._

"_You have it, the fabled Shikon No Tama. If you give it to me I shall not hurt you further." He smiled maliciously, holding the gun to her temple._

"_I… I don't have it! I don't even know what it is!!" She whimpered. He laughed evilly._

"_You lie, and for that you will pay. But, I shall let you live, give you one last chance to redeem yourself and give it to me, next time. For now, your punishment shall ensue." He got off her and stood up next to the bed. "Get up." She dumbly stood and his eyes swept over her, looking disgustingly pleased._

"_Undress." He commanded. That, even stoned, she would not comply with. She stood there and stared half-lidded at him while he waited. When he realized she was defying him, he backhanded her and sent her sprawling onto the bed. She cried out and then he was on top of her, ripping off her clothes, scratching her. She flinched but did not cry out again, it was the last time he would hear her scream. _

_She fought him, but she was weak, and her mind altered by the drug. He easily overpowered her and soon she was lying naked between his thighs, gritting her teeth to keep from crying. His rough hands trailed harshly across her sensitive skin, and then he plunged into her. Despite her earlier resolve not to cry out, a scream tore from her throat, ringing in her ears. Pain drifted like waves from her insides, making her continue screaming as he drove hard into her. Every thrust caused more and more pain, she could not stop from jerking away from him, driving his frenzy higher, making him thrust even harder. Her eyes burned, she couldn't breath. _

_Finally he pulled out of her, leaning to the side, spent. He was breathing hard, a look of deep satisfaction in his eyes. He smiled at her and ran a finger down her face, but she hardly noticed as the pain distorted her thoughts. She could feel herself bleeding heavily. He got up and pulled up his pants, rebelting them._

"_I didn't know you were still virtuous. What a pleasant surprise. You should know the name of your first man, the one who made you a woman. I am Naraku. Don't forget it." He smirked and left, leaving her crying and bleeding on the bed._

Kagome winced at that memory, feeling her rage toward Naraku sharpening even more, becoming an obsession. She knew what was going on now; he was taking her back to where he had first forcibly taken her, to where they used to smoke up. Where it began.

4:20.

She checked the time, it was 3:45. Kagome clenched her fist and whirled around, taking the steps two at a time. She grabbed her uncle's mansion's key off the hook and threw open the front door. She jumped into the car without opening the door and started it up. She was backing up before she had even finished putting it into gear. She pulled right out in front of another car and heard the squeal of tires, but did not care. She quickly shifted into a forward moving gear and roared away, music from the radio coming on. She shifted and sped up, shifted again and pressed even harder on the accelerator. She was going 60, shift, then 70, and then 80. She swerved through traffic like she would on the highway, except she was on a two-lane road.

She pulled into the police station, hardly slowing enough to make the turn, and squealed to a stop. Sesshoumaru was there, as well as her mother, rushing toward her. She didn't bother to get out. She knew she could not do this alone; she would need Sesshoumaru's help.

"Get in!" She ordered. Sesshoumaru eyed her wearily, having never seen her with such a commanding and authoritive aura before. He grudgingly realized it must be important and jumped into the passenger side. Atsuko made to get in.

"No, mother, I refuse to risk your life as well. You stay here, we'll bring Souta back." Her mother opened her mouth to argue, not liking how her own daughter took a powerful tone with her. She had not seen her this focused before, but was afraid for her safety. Before she could say a word, Kagome was throwing the car into drive. Atsuko rushed forward to thwart her, but Kagome drove off, spinning the tires. Atsuko stared after her, worry etched in every line of her face.

Kagome drove far too recklessly, but she didn't care. Even stolid Sesshoumaru was clenching his teeth when they rounded a corner almost on two wheels, or just missed hitting or being hit by another car. Kagome finally realized killing herself and Sesshoumaru was not the way to save Souta. She slowed down enough so that she was only a little above the speed limit and tried to relax. The radio clock now read 4:00. Sesshoumaru sending her speculating glances.

"Naraku left a message on the mirror of my room." She decided to leave out the other details. He might not believe her. Hell, she didn't know if she believed herself.

"What did it say?"

"'Where the Fun began at 4:20'." She replied cryptically. She saw him throw a sharp look at her and she sighed, realizing she would have to explain.

"And?" he asked.

"He means the house it all began in, the first time he… The first time I saw him. This was before I even knew about the jewel. It wasn't until the next day when my grandfather was on his deathbed that I learned what the Shikon No Tama was and why Naraku wanted it. 4:20 is the time, it coincides with what we used to do in that house." She said this all coolly, making him wonder.

"What you used to do?" he echoed. She gave him a quick glance.

"You don't know what 4:20 means? Being a cop and all?"

"I am not a cop. I am a detective, a private detective. Don't mistake me for those foolish idiots." She raised her eyebrows in surprise but said nothing pertaining to that matter.

"Its smoking pot. We use to call it our 4:20 house; it's my Uncle's mansion that he does nothing with. Its empty and he leaves it unlocked for some odd reason. We used to smoke in it. But I quit after that last time…" She stopped, but she didn't have to elaborate. He knew. "He's going to… it will happen at 4:20." She finished. He was looking at her funny, and she couldn't help but notice.

"What?" She asked.

"You still haven't told me how you figured all of this out. How did you know to look into your room? If you were in your mother's room to pick up her bag, what made you go to your room?" he asked it so casually, but there was no casual answer. Could she lie to him? No, he would know. She took a deep breath.

"The house smelled of blood. Mama's room had blood all across the walls, it was disgusting. I was picking up her bags when I had the urge to pick up her lipstick. I'm not sure why, but something told me to. When I held it in my hand, memories, images that I had never seen before snapped in front of my eyes. It was so weird. I saw Naraku cutting Souta's hand and smudging blood all over it. I heard his laughter, and my brother screaming, and Mama too. I saw him write on the walls and on my mirror. I saw other things too, from the first time he… the first time he…" She gulped, but determinedly plowed on. "The first time he raped me." She swallowed. "I saw the street sign of where the house was, right on pleasant street. I saw the white house." She was visibly shaking. Sesshoumaru could not help himself when he took her free hand in his, caressing her hand with his thumb. She gave him a grateful smile, her shaking slowly stopping, her grip on the steering wheel relaxing.

"So I figured out where I had seen him writing, on my mirror, and when I went up, there it was, done in Mama's red lipstick. I just figured it out from there." He nodded acceptance of this version, making her heart leap. He believed her?

"You… you don't think I'm crazy?" She asked. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"After seeing that jewel around your neck purify and fix everything in the kitchen, I am obligated to believe in such powers. Besides, your not lying, and there's no other plausible answer to my question." He gave her a wry smile, but a smile nonetheless, and she returned it, squeezing his hand with hers. She turned her attention back on the road, taking a side road and slowing down when she saw the sign, Pleasant Street. The white house lurked behind it, sending chills down her spine. She hadn't been here since that day… and that was probably why he brought her here, because he knew it would be painful. That asshole, she would make him pay.

She turned into the house's driveway and reached for her seatbelt, only to remember that she had never put it on. She opened the door and got out of the car, checking the radio clock before she shut the door.

4:12.

She looked up at the grand old mansion and cursed silently. Once again this house would be defiled, despite her efforts to clean it. She had kept it locked after that day to keep the potheads out, somehow not wanting anyone in there ever again to dirty it with their unclean actions. Kagome did not claim to be a saint, but she did none of the things some people did, at least not anymore.

She started wearily for the house, anticipating some sort of trap. Sesshoumaru's hand went automatically for the gun at his waist and she glanced his way, trying to silently communicate her unease. He nodded in understanding. She quietly slipped her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door, going in slowly. Still nothing happened, which totally unnerved her. The deathly quietness of the house made her heart beat faster than a drum and put her already fried nerves on edge. Sesshoumaru slid in right behind her and carefully drew his gun.

Kagome started hesitantly toward the stairs, touching the banister lightly. Shock waves of somehow '_knowing' _slid through her and she gasped aloud. Sesshoumaru was at her side in an instant. He gazed at her seriously, not needing to ask the question on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm fine, they're up there, in that room…" She didn't elaborate, but shakingly started up the stairs, keeping away from the banister. Her footsteps echoed on the wooden stairs, despite how softly she strode up them. Sesshoumaru was like a cat behind her, silent, yet quick. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to think, not to breath. She was trembling and despite how she tried, could not help but see the worst.

Her imagination took over, seeing Souta bleeding terribly, his body sprawled at odd angles on the floor. His eyes accusing, bloody, blaming her. His throat slit, the blood running across the floor toward her, trying to stain her. His face blank, his head turning slowly toward her as he took his last breath…

She shook her head hard and grabbed it in between her hands, trying to rid herself of the visions. A warm hand on her shoulder and worried golden eyes steadied her. She wrapped her fingers around the Shikon, taking a deep breath as its power flooded her. She topped the landing, turning right and staring at the door of that room. She silently swore at Naraku for making her reenter it, staring at the door hatefully. She reached for the knob, her hand missing it, finally grasping it, and then flung it open.

At first she saw nothing, the darkness of the room intense enough that her eyes could not adjust. Blinding light greeted her eyes and she winced and shut them automatically. She brought her arm up and peered beneath it, seeing two pairs of feet. She removed her arm quickly and saw Naraku standing there, her brother shielding him. He was grinning at them delightfully.

"Welcome, all, to my wonderful party." His face made her want to hit him, anywhere, hard. Her body shook with her hatred of him, all of her previous fear seemed to dissipate. She wanted more than anything to kill him, to draw out his death painfully. This was the only person who deserved it. His grinning face disgusted her.

"I see no need for violence, here. Please release your gun and then move away from it." His voice sounded jovial, like he was asking them if he could take their coats. Sesshoumaru set his gun slowly on the dresser before moving to the other side of the room, taking the frozen Kagome with him. She knew he would not risk her brother's death.

A slightly rusty, metallic taste invaded her mouth, her lip was bleeding. She had been biting it hard to keep from moving. Her fingernails were digging painfully into her hand, her whole body hurt with the effort to keep still.

"Well, now that everybody is here, and right on time may I add, it is time for the party to begin." He hauled Souta up a little higher, and she finally noticed the state her little brother was in as he cried out. He was bleeding from the wound in his hand, his eyes hidden from view with a blindfold. Naraku was holding him up to keep Sesshoumaru from attacking him, a gun pointed at Souta's head. She knew he would not hesitate to use it. There was a bruise on his head, just above his temple. His bare legs below the shorts had small scratches and bruises. The site angered her more and more.

"Well now, what's a party without some fun?" Naraku grinned at them, edging around the bed toward her. She held her ground, watching him, her eyes stony. He came close, making Sesshoumaru growl in anger. He ran a slender finger down her face.

"How about a trade-off? I will let Souta go free and take you instead, my dear sweet Kagome." Kagome lifted her chin higher, glaring at him, but did not answer. "That's what I like about you, dear. Your spirit." He turned to look at Sesshoumaru, his grin widening. "That first time, that was the best. I suppose you know though, don't you? You've had her. She has so much spunk, so much fight. And her scream is musical." He chuckled maliciously. Sesshoumaru was shaking, he looked murderous. Kagome would not have him killed, she had to move before he did something, or Naraku said more.

"I agree to the trade." She announced, making Sesshoumaru glance at her in surprise and fear.

"Kagome, don't…" But she was already moving determinedly toward Naraku, her steps even and sure.

"I agree to it." She repeated. Naraku smiled softy.

"I knew you would." He threw Souta to the side, making Kagome wince as his head hit the desk and he landed on the floor. Naraku grabbed Kagome and held the gun beneath her chin. Sesshoumaru went to help Souta, but Naraku snarled.

"Don't touch him, or she will die." He cocked the pistol to prove his point and Sesshoumaru froze, anger written in every line of his face. Kagome smirked.

"Don't listen to him, he lies. He can't kill me until he finds out what the Shikon No Tama is, not to mention where it is." Her voice was clear and gloating. Naraku's cheery façade dropped and he hit her hard on the side of the head.

"Wench!" he snarled. Kagome saw stars for many moments, her vision distorted by the swift and painful punishment. Naraku had his gun trained on her.

"You want to mock me, fine." He grabbed her up again, and pointed the gun at Sesshoumaru. "I will punish you for your behavior." Kagome panicked and her eyes flashed in terror.

"NO!" She screamed, flailing. Naraku just held her tighter.

"No, you say? You mean, you don't want your lover to die?" He asked her. Tears of fear rolled down her face. He shook her. "Answer me." She shook her head quickly and he grinned. She felt all of her iciness, all of her resolve to stand firm against him dissolve.

"Please don't." She whispered. She shivered when his hands carefully removed her hair from her neck, pulling it to one side. His breath made her want to choke.

"You will do as I say?" She nodded again. His hand ran down her shoulder, across her hip to her thigh, then back up again, running over her breast. Sesshoumaru's pained expression hurt to see, she closed her eyes. She would not let him die, he would not die. If she had to give Naraku the Shikon, she would not let him kill Sesshoumaru. The feel of his hands on her disgusted her, the feel of his arousal against her back repulsed her. She had to concentrate hard to not move away from him. His hand slid down the front of her body and in between her thighs, urging them apart. She clenched her jaw.

"Don't resist me." He pointed the gun at Sesshoumaru again. Tears slid out of her tightly closed eyes as she parted her legs and felt him play with her. When his hand dived into her pants she let out a small sob. He slid a finger into her dry opening, making her clench her teeth as a small stinging sensation gripped her. Soon the feeling faded as she numbed to it, her tears drying as she slipped back into the old ways, unfeeling. He noticed this and pulled his hand out of her jeans, displeased. She blinked.

"Why don't you make this easier and remove those clothes?" She stood, unseeing, and he pointed the gun at Souta. "Hear me or I will…" her fingers went to the edge of her shirt, but she could not make herself pull it up, no matter how she tried. Her vision cleared, Naraku standing there, waiting, her brother crumpled on the floor, but alive. Sesshoumaru standing there; anger and hurt written on his features. Her eyes stared pleadingly into his, begging him to understand.

A gunshot brought her reality down around her ears, the loud noise reverberating on her eardrums unpleasantly. She slowly turned to look at Naraku, seeing his gun smoking. Her head snapped to Sesshoumaru, but he stood, unharmed. His eyes held deep remorse. The truth of who had taken the shot shook her, she denied it. She was afraid to look, afraid of what she would see. But look she did, turning slowly around to see a new bloody hole in her brother, in his temple. The red seepage seemed unreal, impossible. She staggered a step closer to him, ultimately putting her closer to Naraku. His gun turned to point at Sesshoumaru.

"Move another step and it will be his turn. But hell, what's one more death on your head? After all, if you had just given me the Shikon No Tama, Inuyasha and Souta would still be alive. What's one more to you?" He chuckled again, a noise she could stand no longer. Fire blazed in her eyes, her blood pumped hotly.

"NO!!" She screamed. Her chest heaved. "Naraku, you will die for that! I swear, you will die now!" Her anger overpowered her; instinct was wielding her actions and words. Instead of reaching for him or his gun, her hand sought the Shikon, gripping it in both of her hands. She ripped it from her neck, putting her heart and soul into it. White light blasted from between her fingers, but she did not close her eyes. Her eyes, glowing white, were reflected in the mirror briefly, a face that was not hers grinning maliciously. The power exploded in her hands, making the room glow white and everyone except herself to become blinded. A shot went blindly toward her, but missed by feet. Or perhaps it did hit her, she would never know.

A scream of horrible pain reached her ears, a scream she had never heard before, but had anticipated for a long time. She smiled. The power flooding her was slowly lessening and reducing the glow in the room. Slowly, the white before her eyes dimmed and black took its stead. Her thoughts were disoriented. All she could remember after was thinking she had gone blind.

"I'm free. Damn you, Naraku, I'm free of you." She whispered to absolutely no one.

Soon everything turned black; her body never felt the impact of hitting the floor.

THIS IS NOT THE END!! There is at LEAST one more chapter! YAY!! I hope you all liked this story, please review and tell me what you thought of it. PLEASE!!! I welcome flames, I think they are interesting to read, so have fun people!!

I thank all you people who have reviewed, and I urge you to continue. Questions?

Comments?

I can be reached at Riasha


	8. Bloody Rose

Chapter 7: Bloody Rose

Kagome could hear someone distantly calling her name, sounding almost frantic. She didn't want to wake from her dream, not yet. It had been close to a nightmare, Naraku, Souta…

Her eyes snapped open. It wasn't a dream.

"Naraku…" She found her gaze invaded by golden eyes and silver hair. _Sesshoumaru…_ Thank god he was okay.

"Naraku is gone, Kagome. Are you okay? Do you…" She interrupted him.

"I'm fine. Souta…?" His bleak eyes, despite his lack of expression, told her all she needed and didn't want to know. Oh no…

She made herself sit up, finding that her limbs were hard to make work and weak. She felt as though she had done a few hundred push-ups, run a marathon, and not slept for days. Her head hurt, her eyes were dull. Sesshoumaru tried to get her to lay back down, afraid she had been seriously hurt, but she waved him back. She crawled onto her knees and made her way to her brother's still body. There was no blood, none at all. Maybe Sesshoumaru was wrong…

The small hole in Souta's temple and his deathly coldness crushed that hope before it could fully form. She didn't acknowledge the tears that were running down her cheeks and dripping off her of chin to splatter on her brother's pale, cold face. She pulled him onto her lap and rocked him back and forth, crying her silent tears. He was dead, that lunatic had killed him. Suddenly, she needed reassurance of what had happened. What exactly had happened to Naraku? If he wasn't dead… her blood boiled with the thought. If he was still alive, she could hunt him down and make sure he paid.

She gently laid her brother's body down on the floor and wiped her tears away, new strength flowing into her body. She was getting up when she felt strong arms around her, helping her up. She turned and buried herself into him, taking comfort him his nearness. His warm strength cocooned her and kept her safe in his arms. She took several deep breaths and soon found her own strength had returned.

"Tell me what happened." She requested. She felt his arms tighten around her.

"In the car." He replied. She was about to protest when he swung her into his arms and held her tightly against him. She struggled against him, she was no invalid, and she could walk herself!

His breath, when he spoke, tickled her neck. "Please stop." He said, his voice rougher then usual. She immediately ceased her struggles, perplexed by the tone of his voice. She allowed herself to relax into him, her head resting against his shoulder. He carried her out of the room and down the stairs, holding her tightly against him. They went out the front door and toward the car. At the passenger door Sesshoumaru set her down and held her against him as he opened the door. She was about to get in when he turned her to face him and brought his lips crashing down on hers.

At first, fear gripped her, making her freeze. But after a second or two, her body was melting into his and her own passion rose to answer his fiercely. She felt like she was jumping into a roaring fire, except this fire could not hurt her. Her body melted into his and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He answered by impossibly kissing her deeper, his arms wrapping around her waist and holding her tightly against him. Around them, the fires licked and snapped.

Kagome felt breathless when he broke off the kiss, she noticed his chest was rising and falling heavily as well. He leaned his forehead against hers.

Sesshoumaru had his question answered. Their morning had been… well, it was beyond wonderful, it was almost dreamlike, but with images and feelings so sharp they left him aching and breathless. He was afraid, afraid of her deciding that what they had done was fun, but when she realized that Naraku was no more, he would never see her again. Once he told her what he had seen up in that room, he wanted to be sure she wasn't going to go on with her life as if she had never met him. That kiss, if it meant even close to her what it did to him, assuaged his fears.

He regretfully pulled back from her enough to help her into the car. Their eyes met before he shut the door and the hot, plaintive wanting in them almost made him yank her back out to take up where they had left off. With a will made of iron he shut the door and went around to his side to open the door. He got in and started the car, pulling away from that old house. They stayed silent as he drove down an old dirt road and then stopped.

Kagome was surprised to find they were parked on a grassy road, trees on both sides of them, a beautiful crystal-blue lake stretched out in front of them. She inhaled sharply as the sun glinted off of it, rainbows of color reflecting in the water.

"Wow." She couldn't take her eyes off it. She heard Sesshoumaru chuckle beside her and only when the sun was covered in clouds and the lake now reflected only the trees and sky above did she turn to him. She smirked back at him. "Chuckle all you want. It's quite a sight, but somehow I think you already knew that." She paused. "Why did you take me out here?" He lifted her hand in his and was rubbing his thumb over it.

"I wanted to tell you about what I saw… and other things." It was the 'and other things' that made her swallow, but she nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I wondered if you noticed that the jewel around your neck is gone." Kagome automatically reached for it, but her hand closed around a chain with nothing on it. She frowned.

"How…?"

"My theory is that when it was used, it disappeared. For good intentions anyway. After you fainted," she blushed and looked away, "I watched as Naraku screamed in obvious agony, slowly being consumed in white light. When it faded, he was gone, and the Shikon was gone as well. I believe he's really annihilated. You destroyed him, Kagome." She opened her mouth to protest, about to say if this was true it was the Shikon that did it, but his free hand held a finger to her lips. Her voice died in her throat.

"It was you. When you cupped the jewel in your hands, it glowed and filled the room with light. It disappeared from your hands as you fainted. You used the Shikon to destroy him, and it did." She processed these words slowly, trying to comprehend what he was saying. If he was right, then she had avenged her brother, and the wrongs done to herself. And that meant that it was done, she didn't need to be afraid anymore. He was truly gone. And she was free of him.

She wanted to cry, she was so happy, but God she'd had enough tears to last her a lifetime. So instead she smiled brightly at Sesshoumaru. He obviously wasn't finished, so she waited for him to continue.

"Kagome, with Naraku gone, what do you plan to do?"

Kagome stared at him. That wasn't what he wanted to say. She concentrated on the question, but truth was she had no idea what she was going to do. What she wanted to do… well, she wanted to spend every night with him, wake up in the morning and see him sleeping next to her. She wanted to travel with him, to go on picnics, to watch beautiful sunsets…

"I suppose I'll finish school and… I don't know. Maybe I'll go into some kind of police work. Maybe the same thing you do. I'll probably stay with Mom, and help her support herself until she gets too old to, but that's a long time from now. She's only thirty-seven, did you know that?" He shook his head no, still running his thumb over the back of her hand. She could tell he wanted to ask her something, and she held her breath.

"Kagome…"

"Yeah? Ya know, I'd really miss you. Maybe… I know our ages are very different, but maybe we can keep this going…" he cut her off.

"Would you stay with me? Your mother can live there was well. I can easily support both of you, and there's enough room in my place…" He was interrupted as she threw herself against him, her arms wrapped around him tightly.

"God I was so afraid you wouldn't ask." She whispered against his chest. He chuckled, more out of relief then anything else. "Of course, I'd love to live with you. I might have to do some real coaxing on Mom's part to get her to move in, but even if she won't, I can get a job and help her out. Maybe even enough to get her a better place, that apartment is terrible. And it could be closer to us…" He kissed the top of her head, effectively shutting her up.

"Forget the job. I can well afford to buy her a new house if she would like one." Kagome lifted her head from his chest.

"A new house? Jesus, how much money do you have?" He chuckled at the consternation on her face and proceeded to explain.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's family had been very wealthy, extraordinarily so, actually. When their parents had died five years ago, the money had been split between the two remaining siblings, since they were the only family members left. Inuyasha had been far too young at the time and Sesshoumaru had been the guardian of the money. When Inuyasha had turned 18 just a year ago, the expansive funds had been released to him. Even as reckless and stupid as Inuyasha was, he had not been able to spend all of that money. Not even enough to put a dent in it.

Kagome listened wide-eyed. Inuyasha had never told her any of this. Apparently, he didn't want his wealth to be known. And here she had accused him of using the five-finger discount a few times when he had come up with some really nice stuff. She hadn't thought… well, she certainly didn't know he had been wealthy.

And when Inuyasha died, (Kagome cringed at this and buried herself deeper into Sesshoumaru's chest), everything had gone to Sesshoumaru since he had no will written and there was no other surviving family. He included mention of family heirlooms: The swords. He had been left the Tenseiga and Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga. Now he would have both. They alone were worth a pretty penny, and together their worth tripled, not that he would EVER sell them.

When she asked Sesshoumaru why he worked when he obviously didn't have to, he didn't answer right off. Finally he explained sarcastically that if he didn't work, he'd be so bored he'd probably waste away in his big house. She giggled at that; it was hard to imagine Sesshoumaru wasting away. He'd always find something to do. He would probably travel, or maybe he'd invest his money, or something like that, he said on a more serious note. After another short pause, Kagome tipped her head up to look into his eyes. He smiled down on her, making her heart catch.

"I was considering giving Inuyasha's money to you and your mother before, did you know that?" She shook her head no, about to protest that they wouldn't have taken it anyway, but one look in his eyes stopped her.

"Do you think your mother would allow me to help her?" he asked. She had to try several times before her throat unstuck.

"I don't know. She might let me; what if we said it was my money? We could pretend Inuyasha had actually had brains and had wrote up a will and left me millions." He chuckled and she smiled. His expression turned serious.

"I suppose that would be reasonable. If it is what it will take for your mother's pride…" The look in his eyes made her whole body hum, she almost couldn't answer him.

"I'm sure that's what it will take." She whispered. His heated eyes stole her breath; she could feel heat stirring in her in response. When his lips touched hers, she couldn't control the urge to kiss him back. Soon it was just as heated as they felt, and their clothes were discarded or pushed aside in a flurry of passion. The tight quarters of the car nor could the awkward positions deter them. They were desperate, ravenous.

With both of their pants and underwear removed, he plunged into her. She was leaning on the door, mostly in the passenger seat, her legs dangling in front of the driver's seat, the E-brake sticking into her upper thigh. He thrust into her, over and over, and she was going nuts because in her position she couldn't thrust up to meet him. Again and again he slammed into her, the E-brake making a bruise she couldn't feel on her thigh through the haze of pleasure. They both burst into a glorious climax, their throaty cries mingling in the fresh forest air.

When their senses returned, Kagome was the first to say something, the E-brake coming to attention finally. He groaned and shifted them over some, their legs entangled on the driver's seat now. His knees were scrunched up; his much too long legs didn't fit well in the small space. Both of their heads bumped the passenger door, and soon body parts began to fall asleep. They grudgingly got up and slipped into the backseat where they would be slightly more comfortable.

This time when they made love, it was with a slow hungry thoroughness that made them both gasp for breath and shout the to the heavens when they finally hit the earth-shattering orgasm.

Sated, happy, fulfilled, they lay wrapped in each other's arms. Neither slept, as comfortable as they were. They were relaxed, but the events of the day sat heavily on their shoulders.

Finally realizing that her mother would be worried about her, Kagome got up and shimmied into her clothes. Sesshoumaru did as well, recognizing the fact that they needed to come up with something to explain what happened to Souta. They could tell Atsuko the truth, but the police would never believe a jewel destroyed a person. Atsuko had seen it, and she would believe her daughter.

While driving back up the dirt road they decided to tell them that they had met Naraku and that he had killed Souta and then gotten away. They would pretend he was still on the loose and do whatever was necessary to cooperate with the police.

"I'll have to quit my job, so they won't wonder why I'm not investigating the case." Kagome objected to that, saying if they could pretend to help the police, he could pretend to investigate the case. He stopped the rest of it by covering her hand gently with his own. "I don't need a job now to keep me occupied. It was just something to do while I was waiting for you." That made her heart melt into a warm blob and she smiled back at him.

"Well, that's okay then. As long as you keep me occupied as well." He grinned at her and laced his fingers into hers.

"I promise I will." His husky voice was full of innuendo.

_One month later._

"Mom is going to love it!" Kagome squeezed Sesshoumaru's hand in hers. She stood on her tippy toes to plant a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. He wiped the grin off his face and replaced it with a disgusted look, groaning and wiping the saliva off his cheek. She giggled beside him and he retaliated by leaning her backwards and planting a few big wet ones on her neck. She held onto his arms and tried to control her laughter in a fruitless attempt to fight him.

He finally tipped her back up and slipped his arm around her waist, looking at the big house. They both admired it from every angle. It was a two-story house, rather small because Kagome insisted her mother wouldn't like a big house. The white paneling glinted in the sunlight and canary yellow shutters and trim gave it a cute look. Kagome said her mother always wanted a white house with yellow trim. There were nicely manicured flower boxes under the windows and pretty flowers grew along the sidewalk. It had a big, rolling lawn out back that was cut neatly and glowed green. A couple of big northern red oak trees towered over the pretty lawn. A beautiful black willow stood near the back by the tree line. It looked perfect to hang a swing from.

They eventually turned to leave, realizing that if they didn't hurry, they would be late to pick Kagome's mother up for 'dinner'. In reality they were going to take her here and give her the keys to the house and the deed to it. If she didn't' want it, the stuff would already be in her name, so she would have to sell it. They both knew she wouldn't. She'd be flustered, angry, and grateful.

Neither of them could wait.

Sesshoumaru opened the door for Kagome, bowing and motioning for her to get in. She gave him an exasperated look when he shut the door. When he turned to go around the car she reached her hand out and slapped his ass, surprising him. She giggled when he jumped and yanked her hand back in, whistling innocently when he turned to glare at her. It was an ongoing thing, this little game they had. Kagome was one up on him now. She couldn't wait to see how he would get back at her to even the score. He got in the car, and started it up, purposely ignoring her. A month ago she would have thought he was angry with her, but now she knew he was only pretending to be.

She badgered him about putting his seatbelt on, which made him just astutely declare that he wasn't going to. She got angry and went silent until he forcefully kissed her and said he just didn't like seatbelts. She softened and smiled at him, telling him that if he got hurt in a car accident she would never forgive him. She loved to go fast, but she always wore a seatbelt just in case something happened.

At a stop light his eyes brightened and he motioned her closer, cupping his hand as if to tell her a secret. She leaned over cautiously, trying to be wary of whatever prank he was going to pull on her. When she was close his cupped hand swiftly grabbed her neck and he slid his tongue into her ear. She squealed and tried to pull away but his grip was too strong. When she struggled he held her tighter, but not enough to hurt her. Finally the light turned green and he abruptly let go, his face a mask of neutrality and his eyes focused on the road as if nothing had happened. She tried to glare at him but she couldn't stop laughing long enough to.

"I'm gonna get you for that one." She promised. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Only evening the score." His eyes stayed on the road. She pouted.

"Still… just you wait."

"Is that a promise?" He flashed her a grin. When she returned it his eyes flashed. "I can't wait." He said, his voice low and seductive. With that she burst into a fit of giggles. He rolled his eyes. "I was serious… did you know?" But that only made her laugh harder.

They were arguing jokingly about who was going to get to be on top next time they… (Et-hem) …and Kagome finally gave in and said Sesshoumaru could as they bumped down a narrow road going sixty. That gave way to a whole new argument about how he was always on top and it was her turn. She argued back that he was better then her so he should be. He flashed her a lethal grin and commented that practice made perfect.

A loud bang made both of them stop and then the car was careening just about out of control, the tire had popped. And suddenly both of them noticed the drop off to the right, and how the road twisted and turned, trees lining both sides. The car was pulling toward the drop off because it was the front right tire that had popped. Sesshoumaru tried to correct it and then the car swerved too far to the left. The nose dived into a ditch going fifty and slammed into the other side of the ditch.

Kagome whacked her head and all went black.

Kagome awoke slowly, her head pounding. She could feel a trickle of blood coming from the back of her head. It was sticky and gross. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened and turned to see if Sesshoumaru was okay. The driver's seat was empty and the windshield glass was shattered. Fear gripped her, making her frozen to the spot.

"Sesshoumaru…" She finally was able to move and jerked at her seatbelt, having a hard time getting it to come undone. It unbuckled and she tried to open her door only to find it was stuck. She climbed over the top of it since the top was back and circled slowly to the front of the car, afraid of what she would find there.

Her eyes almost didn't comprehend what she saw. Sesshoumaru was lying on his back, 15 feet in front of the car, his bloody hand wrapped around a piece of glass deeply embedded in his stomach. For a second, she expected him to get up and chuckle at her gullibility, pulling off the piece off glass and showing her that it wasn't really embedded in him. When he didn't get up she raced to his side, falling onto her bare knees next to him. She didn't feel the rocks that bruised and dug into her knees, all she felt was a squeezing pain in her heart and intense fear.

"Sesshoumaru?" Her voice cracked. She was relieved when his eyes fluttered open. There was no pain in his features, his expression was calm.

"Kagome, are you alright?" He whispered. He lifted his other hand a little and she took it. She pretended not to notice how his hand went limp in hers. She raised it to her face and kissed it.

"I'm fine… but you…" She glanced at the piece of glass. He smiled weakly.

"That's nothing. As long as your okay…" His voice gave out and his eyes rolled back. Her whole body turned white hot with panic.

"Sesshoumaru!" She cried. Slowly, his eyes fixed on hers. She watched as in his last effort his mouth formed the words I love you, but no sound escaped his lips. But she understood.

"I love you too." Her voice, just above a whisper, was weak and throaty from the tears in the back of her throat. He smiled slowly at those words and then his whole body relaxed. Kagome refused to believe it.

"Sesshoumaru? Sesshoumaru… you can't do this to me!" She frantically felt for a pulse on his neck and found none. He was not breathing either. "No… NO!" Kagome didn't feel the tears that were running down her cheeks. When she still didn't feel a pulse after a few minutes, she realized it was true.

Already his eyes were glazing and losing the look of love he had directed at her just before he died. She pounded his chest in anger.

"You can't leave me Dammit! You promised we would be together! Damn you! You can't die! I told you I'd never forgive you if this happened! You, you swore," Her voice gave out and she collapsed on top of him, wild, angry sobs shaking her, tears coming down her face. Slowly they calmed and she curled up next to his body, trying to keep it warm with hers. Already he was becoming cold and stiff.

She refused to move, lost in a haze of pain and loss. The voice around her didn't register for many moments.

"Miss? Miss, please get up. Miss? I've called 911, people will be here soon. Miss, you're shaking, please get up."

She heard the last but didn't respond. She was never going to get up; she was going to stay with him forever. No one could separate them, ever. She wrapped her arms around his cold body, hugging it to her. He was hers, forever. He had told her so.

So when a pair of strong arms began to pull her away from him, she screamed and fought him tooth and nail, punching and kicking desperately. But she was weak, and soon her hands lost purchase of his body and she was being lead away. She dragged her feet, trying to get to the ground, making herself a dead weight, but still she was drawn farther from him. She went totally still, faking defeat. She calculated her surroundings, and when his guard dropped slightly and he was about to open a car door, she lashed out, catching him between the legs with her knee and in the jaw with her fist. She pulled back and whaled him in the stomach, and he let her go, doubling over in pain.

Kagome's eyes were fuzzy and her legs wobbled as she started back towards the crashed car. She was running, she couldn't feel her feet or her legs, and in trying to jump the ditch she fell. She landed about ten feet from him and ignored the pain to get up on her hands and knees to crawl to him. Once beside him she laid her head on his cold, rock hard chest. All at once reality hit her hard, and she sat back up.

Dead.

She reached her hand forward to brush his hair out of his face and noticed the smile was still on his lips, the smile of love he had directed at her. She clenched her fist and pulled it back to her chest, holding it against her rapidly beating heart. She willed it to slow down; slow, and stop. But it did not do as she bid and kept beating rapidly. She gave up, her hand falling to her lap, head falling forward and her hair swept down to cover her face. She stayed like that for a long time, long enough so that the ache in her neck and the sound of an ambulance close by revived her. As if an EMT could do anything for Sesshoumaru now. She laughed hollowly at the thought. When her eyes had somewhat cleared and she realized she was seeing something red, she thought it was blood. It took her many moments before she realized what she was looking at was a rose.

Curious as to why a lone rose was growing in the middle of a forest, she leaned closer and saw the drops of blood on it, soaking into it. It reminded her of him, why she didn't know, but it did. And it held a part of him in it, drying on it right now. She grasped it and yanked it out of the ground, ignoring the thorns that dug into her skin. It was dead, or it would be now. If he was dead, it didn't deserve to live. She clutched it in her hands, tears running down her face to mingle with the blood in the rose.

That was exactly as the man who had tried to get her away from the body before found her. Miroku felt desolate watching as the pretty girl kneeled there next to the dead body of someone she obviously loved, clutching that rose, blood running down the stem from the thorns in her hands. Diamond tears splashed into the center of the rose. A mix of coniferous and broad leaf trees framed the bloody picture; a ray of sunlight turned everything golden as it pierced the trees.

The sky was brilliant blue, and when the sun peeked from behind the clouds, the lake at the bottom of the mountain reflected a delightful array of colors that sparkled and glittered beautifully.

Shorter then usual, I know, but I didn't want to drag it out anymore then it already was. There will be an Epilogue, by the way.

If you would like to be emailed when I update this fanfic one last time, or for any of my fics, please email me. You will need to specify this fic, or one of the others, or as many as you'd like to be emailed for. If you want to be emailed for ALL of my fics when I update any of them, let me know, and I'll add you. hope you enjoy my efforts. Please feel free to email me with anything, questions, comments, ideas. I hope to hear from you.

RyuuAngel


	9. Tragic

Epilogue: Tragic

Five Years After Sesshoumaru's Death 

Footsteps echoed on the pavement of the road winding through the still, rolling cemetery.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. _

There was a short pause. The sound of water swishing could be heard. And then…

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

The sound was muffled when she diverged from the road onto a dirt path between the graves. Ever so slowly she approached the two graves. In one hand was a vase with a rose in it. The hand held a book, entitled King of The Wind. There was a slight space between page 154 and 155. The book was tightly closed, seeing inside it was impossible.

Kagome finally was standing in front of the twin graves. The stones were elaborate, each designed for the person under them. On the left, the stone was darker and square shaped. The one on the right was a lighter marble and the top was rounded. The one on the left was tilted back slightly, while the one on the right was standing straight up. The script of the names on the marble was flowing calligraphy, but totally legible. The dates were carved deeply in the stone. The inscription below that on the left one said the simple word 'Later', causing laughter to bubble inside her for a short moment. The one on the right said something a little more puzzling. 'I'll never be gone. I can't, because I don't belong in either place.' She puzzled over these words for many moments before she shook her head.

"Yeah, the only place you belong is here, with me." She sighed and choked back the tears. She wouldn't cry anymore, not anymore. She had done enough crying.

Slowly, she sank down in front of the two stones, thinking it ironic that two people that hated each other should be forced to rest next to each other. It was the last twist in their unlucky lives. Almost as if someone was still laughing at them, even now.

"God I miss you." She whispered, her hand lightly stroking the marble on the right. Her fingers slowly caressed the cold ruts and the dog carved into the top. She remembered seeing a picture of this same dog in his home, in the living room. The dog was posed differently; it was sitting on his haunches howling up at the crescent moon above. She could imagine the mournful howl, could hear it in the wind when she shut her eyes. A figure appeared behind her closed eyes, giving her a rare smile. Her eyes shot open.

"I wish you didn't have to go. I always told you to wear that damn seatbelt, if you had listened to me that once…" She swallowed. "I wasn't your fault, it wasn't anybody's fault. Ya know, they never figured out why the tire popped? There was no reason for it. Its like it just decided to take that moment to puncture." She shook her head slowly. "I don't understand it, but I guess its not meant to be understood."

She shifted so her legs were slightly to the side and under her. She rested her weight back on one hand. "I didn't come here just to go on about the accident. I don't need to. I don't know if you can hear me, but if it's even slightly possible, I thought I should try." Kagome turned her face up to the sky as the sun was covered in light gray clouds.

"Me and mom are doing well. I moved into the house with her, mostly because I couldn't bear to stay in the mansion. It was so empty without you." She started to play with a blade of grass, rolling it between her fingers. "It's been so long… you probably thought I abandoned you. I just… had such a hard time making myself come here. It hurts." She plucked the blade of grass and threw it aside. "I'm a detective now. I work in the same building you did, and all I can think is how you might have touched the printer, or the copy machine, or the fax machine. And then I force myself to get a grip and go back to work. The other detectives treated me differently at first, as though I was fragile and might break. They kept giving me funny looks. I guess they were just worried about me."

Her fingers ran idly over the cover of the book, tracing the picture of the horse's head that was on there. It was elaborately decorated in beads and his bridle was exquisitely made. The bridle design and the decorations were Arabic. King of the Wind, a happy ending to a hard story. Why couldn't life be that way? Why couldn't things end happily ever after?

"I've solved quite a few cases, and not been able to solve more than I can stand. How did you deal with it? When a killer goes loose because you couldn't find the evidence? Is that why you were so closed up? Is that why you pretended to be so uncaring?" She sighed. "Maybe I should find another line of work. But maybe, then again, I was meant to do this." She switched so she was leaning on her right hand instead of her left one.

"I don't know what I should say to you. I won't lie and say everything is great, because it never will be as long as your dead. I can get along, Mom needs me anyway. Should I sell the house? I don't know if I can. I took the swords and hung them above the mantle in Mom's house, I hope you don't mind. I thought you might want me to have them."

She could remember taking them down, feeling as though she was disturbing something great and old. Both swords were long, thin and rusty. Despite the careful care they had been paid, chips had formed in the blades. In curiosity, she had researched the blades and found that they had been passed down from generation to generation. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father had given each son one sword. Sesshoumaru had always wanted the Tetsusaiga, for its history told of great battles it lead and the ones it had slain. He had been disgusted when he had received the Tenseiga instead, since its history was a fantastical one, of magical healing. For a short time, he had been the owner of both, and then Kagome had taken them. There was no other family to send them to.

"Anyway, the swords are safe at the house, both of them, together, the way they were supposed to be. Mom is quite fond of them." She smiled sadly.

"Souta was buried before you were, you know that. You were there. I take his grave flowers every month, or I try to. I've only missed it a few times in the winter when there were storms."

"The detectives try to talk to me about Naraku all the time, but I mostly ignore them. I think that a few of them actually suspected that I made the whole thing up and then killed you too. They actually questioned me about where I was when Souta was killed. They thought it was me. Of course, there was no evidence, so they gave up and eventually seemed to have forgotten it. Every once in a while they try to pry again, but I don't give them anything. One of them actually told me their theory that I killed Souta to get your help and then seduced you and was engaged to you so I could get your money. Can you believe it?" Tears burned behind her eyelids but she kept them in check. "Maybe, in a way, I did kill you. I don't know."

She sat in silence for a long time, soaking up the rays of the sun, warming her cold spirit in it. Still, the heat of the sun did nothing to lift the cold that had descended upon her five years ago. No amount of heat could ever melt the ice that coated her entire being. Nothing could touch her; she was becoming stronger. Death, killing, it was becoming easier and easier to see and accept. Maybe that was why Sesshoumaru could handle the job. He kept himself protected.

"I wish you could be here. But no amount of wishing is going to bring you back, I've realized that for a long time now. Wishful thinking doesn't help anyone. It can drive you crazy."

The stillness whisked through her again. Nothing was ever still; the wind blew her hair, the trees around her swayed with it. It sang its song as it whispered through the trees. And yet, inside, she was still, totally and completely still. She was frozen. Her heart didn't beat, her lungs didn't fill, nothing moved inside of her. She was empty and barren.

"Do you think I'll see you again? Ever? I want to believe in it, though my mind tells my no, that heaven and hell don't exist. That all that shit is nonsense. But what happens to us, if we don't go somewhere? Does our energy just go into something else? Do we just go into a dark blackness that is our end? It seems probable. It's the only logical answer, but I know logic doesn't always apply. Not after what happened with that fucking jewel. I don't know what to make of that. I know something else exists in this world because of the powers in that jewel. But what? I want to know." She sighed again. "I wish you could tell me."

Slowly she reached over and picked up the book, shifting so she was kneeling in the grass, the book in her lap. She opened it to page 154 and 155. On the page lay a rose, pressed and preserved over time. Slowly she took it out and fingered it carefully, not wanting to disfigure it in any way. Its smell had long since disappeared. Its color was darker then it had originally had been. It was flat, dry, and lifeless. Carefully she set the book aside and leaned forward to set the rose on the dirt in front of the darker stone on the left.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." Were the only words she whispered to the left-hand grave. The dark stone seemed to glare back at her darkly, accusing. She looked away, guilt written all over her face. She knew it was her fault he had died. She had allowed him to get close to her after Naraku had warned her to keep away from him. She should have been stronger.

She sat back and stared at the grass, reliving her guilt.

After many moments she reached for the vase with the sprightly, new and beautiful rose in it. It was blood red, its leaves dark, healthy green. She lovingly laid it down in front of the other grave. "It's from the same spot that you died, love. Every year, one single rose grows there. It's marking the place you spilled your blood with its own red beauty." She gently caressed the petal of the rose, a small, sad smile gracing her tired features. She ran her fingers gently over the thorns on the rose, and then she pricked her finger on one, just enough so blood dripped down her pointer finger. She carefully smeared the blood on the petals, until her finger stopped bleeding. "This way, we will always have a connection in blood." She murmured. She stared through the beautiful rose for minute after minute.

Finally she stood, her eyes downcast. She stood over the grave of her beloved, trying to keep back the tears. She didn't want to cry. She didn't need to. Crying solved nothing.

And yet, one single tear slid down the bridge of her nose and onto the grass covering the grave. None followed its lonely descent.

Kagome turned away and began her slow, cold trek out of the cemetery. One step after another. She emerged onto the pavement of the main road through the cemetery.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

Her footsteps echoed across the rolling flatness of the open graveyard, rebounded off the trees and sounded long after the footfall had taken place.

_Thud. Thud._

She was leaving him behind at last.

_Thud. Thud._

Her heart might never heal, she might never be right again, but she was letting go. She let go of them as she left the roses sitting on their graves. She let go of him, at long, painful last.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

She never looked back, ever. She was stronger than that.

END.


End file.
